Our Happy Ending
by Hidge
Summary: A series of one-shots of April and Jackson's life together post matrimony. Based in the same universe as For the First Time and Comes And Goes. Please R&R!
1. Happy Birthday to Me

**A/N: Thus begins the collection of one-shots that I promised. I don't know how often I will be updating this, it will happen as the muse moves me. Lol.**

**Here's something from the honeymoon! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's.**

* * *

_**Happy Birthday to Me**_

April smiled to herself as she lazily stretched her limbs and rolled over to look at her sleeping husband. Jackson was sound asleep on his stomach with his neck turned towards her and his hands tucked underneath his pillow. He looked so peaceful and handsome that she couldn't resist leaning forward and placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. He twitched but did not awaken. He was probably very tired, they had been doing a lot of sightseeing, and other _physically strenuous _things. She giggled silently and moved her mouth down to his shoulder. He rolled over onto his back and April quickly took advantage of the new position. She shifted so that she hovered over him and she started to place kisses down his chiselled chest.

There was something about this relaxed, honeymoon version of Jackson that she found even more attractive. He was even more laidback than usual and this whole trip was incredibly relaxing. She hadn't even thought about work once. They had been indulging in every possible way, and she didn't even feel guilty about it. She was married now after all! So far they had eaten out every meal, they had shopped, and they had spent _hours _in bed. They had wine tasted in Napa Valley and she had coerced Jackson into spending a day at Disneyland. He had actually enjoyed himself once he had released his inhibitions.

They were currently staying at a hotel on Malibu Beach, she knew that Jackson really wanted to try surfing before they left, and in two days they would be heading to Lake Tahoe, and after that, they would be ending their honeymoon in San Francisco.

She worked her way down to his stomach and willed him to wake up. She normally didn't do things like this but she was feeling carefree and he looked positively gorgeous. It could have something to do with the days of facial hair that he was sported; she had always enjoyed him unshaven. Also, today _was_ a special day. It was his birthday. He was thirty today.

Jackson shifted as he felt a light sensation on his lower stomach, but he ignored it. He reached out to grab April and pull her into him but her side of the bed was empty. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his mischievous wife. The light sensation that he had felt earlier had been April's dainty fingers and soft lips. "Good morning," he spoke huskily.

"Morning," she smirked gleefully before running her tongue along the muscles of his abdomen. She worked her way back up his body and kissed his mouth softly. "Happy birthday baby."

"Thank you," he smiled against her lips. "I'm still younger than you," he teased.

"Don't be mean or you won't get your presents."

"_Presents_?" He inquired excitedly.

"Yeah," she responded as she nuzzled her nose against his cheek. "I have the whole day planned."

"Does it involve staying in bed?" He asked as he ran his hands down her bare back. He loved the amount of nudity that accompanied a honeymoon.

"Actually it does," she grinned. "We're going to stay in bed and watch TV and order room service."

She kissed his lips again before she gracefully slid down his long, lean frame. Jackson groaned and tangled both of his hands in her thick hair.

"I love birthdays," he grunted.

She giggled as she teased him by kissing the sensitive skin of his inner thighs. "It's only ten o'clock, just you wait."

* * *

Jackson lay on his back with wide eyes and tried to furiously catch his breath. April never stopped surprising him. "What the hell was that?" He asked in disbelief.

"I read it in a magazine," she answered as she pushed her hair out of her face. "Did you like it?"

He grinned uncontrollably as he rolled over and rested his head on her shoulder. "Like may be an understatement." He scooted even closer to her, tossing an arm across her waist as he started to kiss her neck. "That was incredible. You're incredible." Whatever she had been reading, he wanted her to keep reading it.

"Thanks," she smiled. She raised one of her arms and ran her hand along the back of his head. "Why don't you order us some brunch?" She kissed him before she slipped out of bed and pulled on her robe.

"Where are you going?" He asked as he reached for her.

"To get the next part of your present ready," she smiled. She leaned down to kiss him again. "Order whatever you want," she told him before she headed into the bathroom.

Jackson did as she said and picked up the phone to order brunch for the two of them. He asked for omelets, French toast, bacon, and fresh fruit. It was their honeymoon and his birthday, he was going all out. He got out of bed so that he could put on his robe and then he sat down on the edge of the bed and patiently waited for room service.

There was a knock on the door a mere fifteen minutes later and Jackson tipped the young man before he pulled the cart into the room.

"April," he called out, "the food is here." He had no idea what she was still doing in the bathroom.

"One second!"

"What are you doing in there?" He questioned nosily.

"One second!" She repeated.

She finally stepped out of the bathroom and the only thing that had changed was that she had pulled her hair up. She was still wearing her robe and he knew that she hadn't showered. He furrowed his brow in confusion. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing." She answered evasively but he could see a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth and there was an impish twinkle in her eyes.

He eyed her sceptically before she sat down next to him and began to eat her breakfast with a happy smile.

"Okay, so what's with all the mystery?" He asked once they had finished eating.

She smiled before she stood up and placed her hands over his eyes. "Close your eyes, please."

"April," he laughed.

"Do it, please."

He sighed before he tightly squeezed his eyes shut. "Okay, okay, my eyes are closed." He stretched back on the bed and rested his body weight on his elbows.

"So I really have no idea what the big deal is about this," she rambled. "I really don't get the appeal but you couldn't stop talking about it so I'm doing it." She removed her robe and tossed it aside. "Wait another second before you open your eyes."

Jackson smiled excitedly to himself as he thrummed his fingers against the bedspread. He had a pretty good guess at what April was doing. His eyes flew open and he grinned at her like a horny teenage boy. He felt the majority of his blood supply rush below his waist as he stared at her standing before him in a forest green, string bikini. "Happy birthday to me," he murmured. He sat up straight and extended his arms. "Come here."

She stepped towards him and stood between his spread legs. Although she was embarrassed, the way that he was looking at her made her stomach flutter. "So it looks okay?" She whispered shyly.

"You look incredibly sexy, even better than I fantasized," he added playfully. He placed his hands on her hips and caressed all the bare skin that he could reach. "How do you not get the appeal?" He asked as he leaned forward and kissed along her flat stomach.

"Well wouldn't you prefer if I was naked instead," she retorted.

He chuckled as he pulled her into him and she straddled his lap. He ran both of his hands up and down her legs in a repetitive motion as they kissed softly. "You look good in clothes too," he laughed. "And this shows off your legs." He dropped kisses down her neck before he settled in her cleavage. "And _really_ shows off your boobs." He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly. "Ya know you're right; you probably shouldn't wear this in public." He didn't want tonnes of guys to see what she looked like underneath her clothes. There was really no need for everyone else to know that shy, conservative April Kepner had the best body that he had ever seen.

"You sure you don't want to hang out on the beach for a little while today?" She asked as she slipped her hands inside his robe and trailed her hands along his back.

"Yup, I'm sure," he answered quickly. "I'd like to keep you to myself."

April laughed at his comment but her breath hitched and she let out a low moan as his teeth nipped at the swell of her breasts. One of his hands was gently running down her side while the other kneaded her backside.

It wasn't long before he rolled her beneath him and pressed her into the mattress. She hitched one of her legs over his hip and untied the belt of his robe. "I'd check your pockets before you take that robe off," she whispered in his ear. She had hidden something in there last night before they had gone to bed.

He looked at her curiously before he slipped a hand into one pocket and then the other. He found a long rectangular box that he slowly pulled out and placed next to them on the bed. "What is that?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A present," she explained simply.

He kissed her before he sat up and lifted the lid off of the box. "Holy shit!" He exclaimed as he gazed at the box's contents. "You got me tickets to the Super Bowl!"

"I did," she grinned. "And I had to make a lot of phone calls to get them."

He carefully laid the box with the tickets in it on the bedside table before he discarded his robe and practically pounced on top of April. "You are the best wife ever," he murmured against her mouth. "I love you."

"We've only been married for five days but thank you and I love you too," she giggled. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him hungrily. He was completely naked and she could feel his erection pressing against her center. "Jackson," she breathed. "Let's make love."

He hummed as he pulled the clip out of her hair and her auburn waves tumbled to her shoulders. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before he returned his mouth to her chest. He worked his way down to her navel and languidly kissed her stomach as his fingers untied the strings of her bikini bottom.

As soon as he took off the garment, April pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him. She roughly grasped his shoulders and pinned him to the bed while grinning down at him. "Stay put," she warned seductively. He smirked back at her and couldn't stop himself from getting even more aroused due to her boldness. He experimentally writhed beneath her but she tightly locked her legs around him to keep him in place. "Knock it off," she told him sternly as she rocked her hips against his seductively.

"God, you are so sexy like this."

"Like what?" She asked as she leaned down to kiss him.

He eagerly captured her mouth and moved both of his hands upward to cup her full breasts. His tongue explored her mouth and he savoured the taste of her before he pulled away to take a breath. He placed a kiss on the corner of her jaw and moved up to her ear. "Confident," he finally responded. "Assertive. A little bossy." He smiled against her skin before he took a moment to look at her, to really look at her. "And you're so beautiful."

A faint blush spread across her cheeks and she gently ran her hands up his neck until she held his face. 'Thank you," she whispered.

She kissed him softly and nibbled on his bottom lip before she lifted herself up and slowly sank onto him.

"This is the best birthday ever," he gasped.

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**A/N: Fyi, I am currently working on the next installment of I Left My Heart In San Francisco. :)**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	2. The Newlyweds

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and welcome to installment number two! Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's.**

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_**The Newlyweds**_

"Apparently Avery and Kepner are coming back to work today," Alex grumbled as he munched on a bag of potato chips in the attendings' lounge.

"Why do you seem so upset about it?" Meredith inquired as she placed a hand over her small, newly apparent baby bump.

"Because they're going to be even more unbearable than before," he explained. "They're _newlyweds _now."

"It's true," Cristina agreed. "They're going to be doin' it all over the hospital now and being all lovey dovey." She made an unpleasant facial expression before she joined Alex, Meredith, and Brooks at the table in the middle of the room.

"Yeah, those wedding bands are like a free pass to grope all the time," the neuro surgeon chimed.

"They're happy, I think it's cute," Meredith disagreed.

Alex and Cristina exchanged a look before Alex muttered in explanation, "Pregnancy hormones."

Brooks chuckled at his comment as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

The door to the attendings' lounge opened and April breezed into the room with a bright, pleasant smile. "Hi guys! Congratulations Meredith! I just heard! Another baby, that's so exciting," she squealed.

"Thanks April," Meredith smiled. "How was the honeymoon?"

"Wonderful," the red-head gushed as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She could talk about her honeymoon all day but she doubted that people like Alex and Cristina wanted to hear about it.

Alex rolled his eyes at her cheeriness. "Have lots of sex?"

"Hell yeah we did," Jackson answered as he stepped into the room. He clapped Karev and Brooks on the shoulder in greeting before he joined his wife by the coffee machine. "Hey Yang, and congrats Mer."

Meredith smiled in thanks as she grabbed a pastry from the plate in the center of the table. She had realized that she was pregnant the week before April and Jackson's wedding but because of her prior complications, she had decided to keep it a secret until after the first trimester.

"So what's this staff meeting about?" Jackson asked curiously as he and April took seats at the table where their friends were already sitting. He had found a memo about a staff meeting in his locker and he was curious as to what it was about. They usually only had staff meetings for specific reasons.

"The hospital board hired an efficiency expert to come in and evaluate us," Meredith explained. In the wake of the plane crash, the hospital was only now dealing with new policy changes and possible budget constraints.

April furrowed her brow. "Should we be worried?"

"Absolutely," Alex answered quickly. "We're a teaching hospital and when you think about it, that's not very efficient, and if they cut our interns, well, our work loads are gonna double, and that's gonna suck."

"They're not gonna cut the interns," Cristina scoffed. "They're going to make departmental cuts and all of you guys are safe."

"What do you mean?" Jackson asked in confusion as he casually tossed his arm around April's shoulders.

"Well," she began, "they're not heartless so they're not gonna make cuts in peds, especially with Alex's Africa program. Kepner's safe because she works in the ER, not even a complete idiot would touch the trauma department. You just completed a successful clinical trial and plastics brings in a tonne of revenue. Brooks has Shepherd, and Mer has Webber, Bailey, and an occupied uterus. The cuts are gonna come from cardio unless Elizabeth scares them away."

Jackson grinned to himself; his older sister was certainly capable of scaring anyone away.

"Don't be so pessimistic Cristina. I'm sure that everything will be fine," April stated optimistically.

"Oh shush Kepner," she snapped, "you're just perky from all the sex."

April blushed but she couldn't repress a smile as Jackson lightly grazed his fingers along the back of her neck.

* * *

"Avery!" Mark Sloan called out enthusiastically as he walked down the hall towards his protégée.

"Hey Sloan, how ya been?" Jackson asked with a grin.

Mark laid the stack of charts that he was carrying on the nurses' station so that he could give the younger man a hug. "I've been good. I missed you," he admitted with a chuckle. "There are your patients' charts," he stated as he gestured towards the nearby pile. He quickly updated Avery on the status of all of his patients before he asked what was really on his mind. "So, tell me about the honeymoon?"

"It was awesome," he smirked. "I wish that I was still on it." He carefully flipped through the chart sitting on the top of the pile. "We have a follow up with Mrs. Cramer today?"

"Yup, two o'clock this afternoon."

"Cool," he nodded. He missed being on his honeymoon but it would be nice to get back to work. He was excited to get back in the OR and he knew that April was looking forward to some incoming trauma.

Mark playfully nudged his shoulder before he asked, "Got any pictures? It's been too long since the last time I was in Napa."

Jackson pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to the older man. He leaned on the nurses' station and continued to look through the charts that Sloan had brought him. He was completely engrossed in the material in front of him until the man next to him whistled loudly.

"Whoa-uh-oh," Mark laughed rowdily. "I always knew that Kepner was secretly a sex kitten but good God!"

Jackson quickly whirled around and snatched his phone out of Sloan's hand. "Forgot that was on there," he murmured as he deposited the phone back in the pocket of his lab coat. "You don't need to see that."

"I disagree," he replied quickly. "I think that you should show everyone the photo that you took of your wife in a bathing suit while she wasn't looking."

Jackson scowled, "You didn't see this. This never happened."

"What never happened?" April inquired perkily as she bounced towards them.

"Nothing, honey," Jackson replied as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side.

She smiled happily and Mark chuckled to himself, Avery was such a kiss ass when it came to the red-head. "How have you been Kepner?"

"It's Kepner Avery now," Jackson told him smugly. "Without the hyphen though." That part was very important to April, she didn't want a hyphen. "People have been calling you Kepner all morning," he stated a little grumpily.

April soothingly rubbed his chest. "It's a habit. They'll probably still call me Kepner all the time."

"That's fine," he said as he looked down at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I'll set them straight." He leaned down and softly kissed her lips. "And I can call you Dr. Kepner Avery or Mrs. Avery whenever I want," he spoke against her mouth.

Mark cleared his throat to interrupt their canoodling. "Okay lovebirds, break it up."

April laughed softly before she pecked him on the lips. "I have to go see what kind of state the pit is in."

"Have a good day," Jackson said before he gently smacked her behind as she walked away.

Mark refrained from rolling his eyes. He loved seeing Avery happy but he wasn't sure how long he could take this version of his partner in crime. He wanted to give the guy scut duty or send him on a cappuccino run to try to dampen his mood.

"Come on Mr. Kepner, we have rounds."

Jackson laughed at the jab and good-naturedly pushed his mentor before he grabbed the stack of charts.

They walked towards the elevator in silence and Mark waited until they stepped inside the machine before he confessed to Avery what he couldn't stop thinking about. "I keep picturing your wife without her clothes on now." Avery turned to him with a glare and he looked down at his feet sheepishly. "Sorry, I'll try not to."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Jackson warned threateningly.

* * *

It wasn't very long before Jackson ditched Sloan to seek out his wife.

"Jackson…our meeting," April giggled as he pushed her into an empty on-call room.

"It's not 'til ten," he argued with a naughty grin. "And I just finished rounds so I have some time to kill."

He kissed her eagerly and she continued to giggle against his mouth. He guided her back towards the bed and they fell onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs. He sat up and pulled his scrub top over his head before he started to tug at her clothes. She was still laughing and he couldn't stop himself from smiling at her. She was so friggin' cute.

"What are you laughing at?" He inquired as he kissed along her neck.

"Nothing," she giggled, "I just don't feel bad about having sex at work now that we're married. It's like it's expected of us now." She ran her hands down his sculpted chest and started to untie the knot holding up his scrub pants.

Jackson chuckled, "That may be the best thing I've ever heard."

He pushed her onto her back and gently lay on top of her. They were fresh off of their honeymoon so their sexual appetite was still fairly large, they had gotten accustomed to having the time to make love several times a day. Jackson didn't see anything wrong with taking advantage of their spare time while they were at work. He was excited that she now shared his opinion and he envisioned many visits to on-call rooms in their future. He was excited. Night shifts just got much more interesting. Every time that she was scheduled to be the overnight on-call trauma attending, he was going to volunteer to run the burn center.

"How are your patients?" She inquired as she wriggled out of her scrub pants.

"They're great! Sloan and I are starting checkup appointments for the first round of clinical trial patients this week. How was the pit?" He asked in return.

"Not too awful. Some things need to be reorganized."

He grinned as he pulled her scrub top and tank top over her head and started to kiss along her delicious cleavage. "Your efficiency is so sexy," he told her a little teasingly. "The expert will love it."

She tossed her head back in laughter. They were definitely in their honeymoon phase but she could care less. They were married and happy. She wanted to enjoy her husband as much as she could.

"Take off your boxers now Dr. Avery," she purred in his ear.

"Whatever you wish Mrs. Avery," he growled.

* * *

April and Jackson coyly looked at each other from across the table while they waited for their staff meeting to begin.

He grinned uncontrollably as she resituated her hair to cover the hickey that he had left on her neck. There were scratch marks on his back but at least his scrub top provided coverage. She looked so gorgeous that he wanted to whisk her away to an on-call room again as soon as he could. Her lips were still a little swollen and it was driving him nuts.

She mouthed at him to knock it off but he merely tilted his head and licked his lips. His eyes were boring into hers and she had never been able to resist his eyes. To make things even more difficult for her, he hadn't shaved since returning home. He was still sporting his honeymoon beard and it made her want to pounce on him.

They both snapped out of their trances when a young, gangly man in a suit strode into the room.

"Good morning everyone," he greeted with an overenthusiastic smile. "My name is Joshua Daley and I will be shadowing most of you throughout the week and having discussions about your departments. There's no need to be on edge or feel intimidated, the hospital board has simply hired me to gauge where the hospital can be more efficient so just go about business as usual."

He clapped his hands together and April saw Dr. Bailey actually cringe.

"I will start with Dr. Avery."

"Which one?" Jackson and Elizabeth asked in unison.

"Oh…um…" Joshua Daley looked down at the cue cards in his hands. "Dr. Elizabeth Avery, cardio."

Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows in displeasure and let her arms fall to her sides in exasperation. She got up out of her chair and reluctantly made eye contact with the so called efficiency expert. "Come on, follow me," she grumbled.

As the rest of the surgeons started to leave, April leaned over the table and teasingly said to Jackson, "Aren't you glad I'm not one of the Dr. Averys? That would have been super confusing."

He chuckled, "You're a Dr. Avery to me, babe."

Cristina made a gagging noise from her position behind April. "You two need to be hosed down."

"Maybe you guys should still be on vacation," Callie added as she walked past them on her way out the door.

Jackson ignored their comments and glanced down at his watch. "I have twenty minutes before my next consult," he whispered.

April thought for a minute before she nodded vigorously. "Yeah, let's go," she replied breathlessly.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed my little parody of the Dr. Cahill story line. Also, the last part of I Left My Heart In San Francisco should be up soon!**

**Please leave a review! :)**


	3. Dinner with the Averys

**A/N: With all of the Japril tension on the show and all of the angst in my own stories, I had to return to this universe for a little while. I needed some Japril happiness. Lol.**

**Disclaimer: Same as usual, I obviously do not own Grey's.**

* * *

_**Dinner with the Averys**_

April held a spoon up to Jackson's mouth and smiled. "Taste this!"

Jackson did as he was told and tasted the sauce that she was working on for dinner. "Mmm, that's really good."

She grinned triumphantly and turned her attention back to the stove. Jackson smiled and sipped from his glass of scotch as he watched his wife cook. His father, mother, and sister were coming over for dinner and he needed a little something to take the edge off. It was going to be way too many Averys in one room. His mother was in town for a surgery at Seattle Presbyterian and his father had stuck around for a while after their wedding. He had decided to invite him to their home for a meal before he went back to Europe and April had suggested making it a family affair. He just hoped his family could keep things civil. Everything was finally in a good place for him and he wanted to keep it that way. Unfortunately, Avery gatherings were known for their drama.

He hoped that April's natural, sweet, Kepner disposition would balance things out.

He stepped up behind April and wrapped an arm around her waist. He took another drink before he placed his mouth against her neck. "You smell just as good as the food," he muttered.

"Thank you," she giggled as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access.

"Ya know," he spoke as he continued to trail kisses down her neck. "We've yet to make love in the kitchen as a married couple."

She laughed, "Well we've done it everywhere else." And they had. They'd made love in the bedroom, the bathroom, the living room, the office, the laundry room, and even on the patio.

He brushed her hair to the side and moved his mouth up to her ear. He set his drink down on the kitchen counter so that his left hand was free to find hers. He twisted their fingers together so that their wedding bands brushed against each other. "What did I do to deserve you?" He asked in a whisper.

"That is a very good question," she replied teasingly.

He chuckled as he playfully squeezed her waist. He opened his mouth to say something much naughtier but their doorbell interrupted him. He placed a kiss on her cheek before he left the kitchen to answer the front door.

"Hey Dad," he smiled as he opened the door.

"Hi son," Carson smiled back before he gave Jackson a brief hug.

"Mom texted me to say that her surgery is running a little long and Liz had to check on a post-op but they should both be here soon."

Carson smiled wryly. "Are you sure Elizabeth is coming?"

Jackson nodded firmly. "She promised." He knew that his sister still wasn't receptive to spending time with their father but he hoped that this dinner would change that, at least a little bit.

"And how is my lovely daughter-in-law?" Carson inquired charmingly as he entered the kitchen.

"I'm wonderful, thank you," April answered with a bright smile. "How are you?"

Carson pulled April into a hug and gently kissed her cheek. "I'm wonderful as well. This extended vacation is very relaxing."

Afterwards, Jackson led his father into the living room where they chatted while waiting for Catherine and Elizabeth.

"You sure they're coming?" Carson questioned after sipping from the glass of scotch his son had gotten him.

"Yes," Jackson answered firmly. "They're coming. April cooked enough for a battalion," he joked light-heartedly, "so they better be coming."

Carson laughed along with his son. "You're really happy with her, aren't you? You're truly happy?"

Jackson nodded with a wide, uncontrollable smile. "I am, and I know that we're not long back from our honeymoon, but I really am. I can't see it fading anytime soon. She makes me happier than I've ever been."

As if on cue, April skipped into the living room and tossed her arms over the back of the sofa and around Jackson's neck. "Dinner is ready. Now we just have to wait for your Mom and your sister."

Jackson smiled as he tilted his head upwards so that their lips could meet. After pulling his wife down on the couch beside him, he told his father about the hospital's recent visit from an efficiency expert. "And he couldn't find one thing wrong with the trauma department," he stated proudly.

April smiled bashfully and modestly replied, "Dr. Hunt runs a tight ship."

Jackson gently massaged the back of April's neck and was about to open his mouth to speak again but the doorbell interrupted him. He jumped to his feet and answered the front door to find a rather perturbed Elizabeth.

"I need alcohol Jackson, and I need it now," she told him as she breezed past him and into the house.

"What's bothering you?" He asked as he trailed after her in concern.

She retorted quickly, "Our interns are idiots." The two siblings passed through the living room and Elizabeth abruptly greeted April and her father, but she didn't waste much time on her way to the kitchen. "Absolute idiots," she reiterated.

"Well yeah," Jackson chuckled, "they're interns. We're supposed to teach them things."

"They should at least be familiar with the basics," she vented.

Jackson poured Elizabeth a glass of wine and handed it to her in the hope that it would help improve her mood.

She downed half the glass in one gulp before she asked, "How's Dad?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself," he sighed. "Just go and have a conversation with him." He was about to pressure his older sister even further but the doorbell interrupted him yet again. Apparently he was unable to finish his thoughts this evening. "That must be Mom."

He heard his mother's voice resound throughout the house and he assumed that April must have answered the door.

The five Averys sat down to dinner at April and Jackson's beautiful dining room table and as expected, the conversation centered on medicine. They discussed Catherine's surgery at Seattle Pres, the article that Jackson was working on about his and Sloan's clinical trial, Carson's most recent neonatal research, and Elizabeth continued to bitch about her interns. Everything was going so well that Jackson should have anticipated that eventually someone would do or say something that would ruin their perfectly pleasant evening.

"So Elizabeth," Catherine began, "are you still seeing Dr. Karev?"

April stilled and looked at her sister-in-law out of the corner of her eye.

"No, Mom," Elizabeth answered slowly. "Alex and I broke up." And she was telling the truth, she and Alex had broken up but she wasn't about to tell everyone that they were sleeping together again. It was too complicated. She wasn't even sure what it meant yet.

"Why?" Catherine probed nosily.

"None of your business, mother," the eldest Avery child answered in annoyance.

"Well, when are you going to settle down?"

Jackson felt for his sister as their mother continued her line of questioning. Jackson had always been hounded for his education and career choices and although his mother was a meddler when it came to his personal life, she was even worse with Elizabeth. His older sister had made every correct choice where he hadn't so the only thing that she could be criticized for was her romantic relationships. It was no secret that Catherine was beginning to get frustrated with her daughter's single status. She wanted her two children to be married with children.

"Why? Because it turned out so well for you guys," Elizabeth snapped as she stared at her parents.

"Elizabeth," Carson began calmly.

Elizabeth held up a hand to silence her father. "No, don't say anything." She laid her fork and knife down on her plate and stood up. "Whatever you say will be worthless to me. I'm sorry, _Dad_, but one piece of advice in thirty-four years doesn't mean much."

April chanced a glance at Jackson and saw that he was uncomfortably staring at his food.

Elizabeth turned to the red-head with a small smile. "Thanks for dinner, April."

"You're welcome," the trauma surgeon muttered.

"I should go make sure that my patients are still alive," Elizabeth announced before she grabbed her jacket and left the house.

After a brief moment of silence, Carson pushed his chair back from the table and stood up as well. "I'm going to go after her," he stated. "Thank you so much for dinner April, it was delicious." He affectionately clapped his son on the shoulder before he departed.

"So, when am I getting grandchildren?" Catherine questioned to break the silence.

Jackson merely rolled his eyes while April laughed awkwardly.

* * *

"Jackson, are you coming to bed?" April called from the doorway of their home office.

"Um, I gotta finish this section first," he replied distractedly.

April sighed as she observed her husband's face partially obscured by his laptop. He had been working on his article for his and Mark's clinical trial for the past few days. He refused to let her read it, which was incredibly frustrating for her, but what was even worse was that the nights that he worked on it he slept in the study instead of coming to bed. He always said that he 'just needed to finish a section' but it always turned into an all-nighter. She was lonely tonight and she wanted her husband, and she had a feeling that he was burying himself in his paper to try and forget about their awkward family dinner.

She walked up behind him and hovered over his shoulder. He quickly minimized his document and looked up at her nervously. "You can't read it yet, it's not ready."

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Come to bed," she whispered. "I miss my husband."

"I will," he promised. "I just gotta finish this part."

She started to kiss his ear as she began seductively, "If there's any night that you want to come to bed, its tonight."

"I love you, and you know that I want to, but I'm in the zone," he told her excitedly. "This is the best part that I've written so far!"

She thought for a moment before she decided to pull out the big guns. She knew that she was playing dirty but she was desperate. She really wanted to have sex tonight. "Jackson," she purred, "I'm wearing a thong. I've been wearing it all day."

The change in his demeanour was instantaneous, his fingers stilled and he raised his head in interest. "You wore it under your scrubs?" He asked huskily.

"Yup," she breathed in his ear as her hands slowly moved down his chest.

He spun his chair around and she moved so that she was standing in front of him. "You wore it during dinner?" She nodded and he raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe you," he stated sceptically.

She raised an eyebrow so that their facial expressions mirrored each other's before she replied teasingly, "Come to bed and I'll show you."

"Show me now," he bargained. She grinned as she slipped her shorts down enough on one side to show him the top of her underwear. He reached forward and plucked at the exposed, black string. "God, you were wearing that all day?"

"Yup," she nodded, "but you were busy, and nervous about dinner."

"Well I'm not busy anymore." He saved the changes that he had made to his paper and shut down his laptop. He wrapped both of his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. She knelt on either side of him and leaned down to kiss him hungrily.

She returned his passionate kiss before she pulled away to speak. "Sorry about dinner," she muttered.

"It's not your fault," he sighed as he ran his hands along her bare legs. "My family is just a little messed up, I'm used to it." He shrugged and gave her a small smile. "Our family will be much more normal. I promise."

She laughed softly, "Okay." She kissed him again before she asked, "Is your sister okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." His hands moved from her legs to her waist and underneath the baggy t-shirt that she slept in. "I texted her and she at least texted me back. That's a good sign."

"Is she with Alex?" April asked curiously as she ran her fingers along the collar of Jackson's shirt.

"Dunno," he shrugged. "If she was she probably wouldn't tell me."

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and their lips met in another frenzied kiss. He slowly got to his feet and she locked her legs around his waist. Instead of taking her to their bedroom, he laid her down on the sofa in the corner of the room.

He lightly kissed her lips before he moved his mouth to her ear. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she replied, "and your slightly dysfunctional family."

He chuckled into her neck. "Never a dull moment when you're an Avery."

She laughed with him as she started to pull his shirt up his torso. "On the up side, we'll never be bored, right?"

He grinned roguishly as he thrust his hips against her center. "Well I can think of another very specific reason why we'll never be bored." She giggled as he brushed his nose against hers and nipped at her top lip. "Now show me what you got on under there."

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! :)**


	4. 40 Days and 40 Nights

**A/N: So I've posted three different things in three days, that's pretty cool. Lol. I needed to go back to this world for some Japril happiness haha. Enjoy the smut! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always!**

* * *

_**40 Days and 40 Nights**_

Jackson and April had just surpassed five months of marriage and they had fallen into a happy, comfortable routine. They loved being married. Nothing had changed and yet everything had changed. Things were going well at work and they loved their life together in their house in the middle of nowhere.

Jackson had even started to attend church with her. They had just returned from Ash Wednesday service. His high level of corporation with regards to her faith was why she felt comfortable enough to bring up what was on her mind.

"Jackson," April began thoughtfully as she finished brushing her teeth.

"Yeah?" He responded as he joined her in the bathroom to get ready for bed as well.

"Are you giving up anything for Lent?" She asked curiously.

He pondered her question as he washed his face. He knew that this kind of thing was important to her and as her husband, he was going to do his best to understand and support her. He went to church with her when he was able to but he didn't give it much thought. He just did it because he loved her. So he hadn't given the concept of Lent much thought. He knew that it wouldn't be too hard though, he just had to pick something to give up for forty days. It should be simple enough.

"I will if you want me too," he responded after placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"I think that I'm going to give up sex," she stated matter-of-factly.

He turned to her in disbelief and forced a chuckle. "You're kidding, right?" He hadn't been considering something that drastic.

She shook her head. "No, I think that it will be really good, like rejuvenating."

He stared at her in shock as she left the bathroom and headed into the bedroom. "April," he began hesitantly as he stood on the threshold between the two rooms. "You realize that if you give up sex then I give up sex too?" She simply nodded. "For _forty_ days? That is not a commitment that I'm ready to make. We don't even go _two_ days without having sex!"

She sat down on their bed and stared at him with large, pleading, hazel eyes. "Jackson, I want to do this. This is important to me. _Please_."

He sighed as he ran a hand over his head. He could tell by her expression and the tone of her voice that it really was important to her, and maybe he needed to do this for her to prove that what was important to her was important to him too. He could do it. He had self-control. "Okay, if it'll make you happy," he finally stated.

She smiled at him affectionately. "I love you."

"I love you too," he laughed as he rolled his eyes.

She continued to smile at him as she invitingly pulled back the bed covers. "Come on, let's go to bed."

He walked towards the bed with a small smile. That statement wasn't half as exciting anymore.

They climbed into bed and he immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck like he did every night.

She smiled to herself as she placed her hand on top of his, which was resting on her stomach. "You are definitely the world's best husband."

"You are going to have to get me a t-shirt that proclaims that," he joked. She giggled until he spoke again, "So what are the rules? Like what can't we do? What does this entail?"

"Umm, nothing that has the word sex in it I guess," she murmured sleepily. "So we can make out and pet above the waist."

He gulped harshly. It was going to be a very long forty days.

* * *

_**Day 1…**_

Jackson awoke the next morning and, upon remembering the forty day vow of celibacy that he had taken last night, resented how warm and soft his wife was. His arms tightened around April and he groaned. They had always been particularly partial to morning sex so he now felt like a mouse fruitlessly chasing a piece of cheese.

He placed a series of kisses on her bare shoulder and she quickly awoke and stretched her limbs.

"Morning, honey."

"Good morning," he replied as he played with her hair. "Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"

She rolled over so that she could face him and smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "That sounds amazing. Thank you." She kissed him before she slipped out of bed. "I'm going to take a shower."

Jackson waited until she had closed the bathroom door behind her before he got out of bed and slowly made his way to the kitchen. He started the coffee pot before he gathered all of the things he needed to make omelets.

April must have taken a very quick shower because she entered the kitchen in her robe before he had even finished cooking. She wrapped her arms around his waist while he was attending to the stove and placed a kiss on the bare skin of his back.

"That smells amazing," she purred.

"You smell amazing," he countered. He turned his head so that he could capture her lips and he deepened the kiss as something occurred to him. "Why didn't we make love last night?" He asked in confusion. "I was obviously not thinking clearly."

She giggled as she gently rubbed his back. "It won't be that hard, I promise. Forty days will go by before you know it."

* * *

_**Day 5…**_

"I'm dying already," Jackson vented to Brooks as he poured himself a cup of coffee in the attendings' lounge. "I know that it's only been five days but April and I have a very active sex life. This is torture."

"I feel for ya man," Brooks sympathized. "I remember when me and Mel weren't having sex. I get it."

Jackson took a seat at the table in the middle of the room and Brooks sat beside him. "It's like I notice everything about her now, and _everything_ is sexy," the plastic surgeon ranted. The way that she mindlessly ran her hand through her hair when she read something…the way that she grinned at him when he yelled at his favourite sports teams on television…the way that she pulled her scrub top over her head at the end of the day…everything was arousing. It was like he was fourteen all over again.

He raised his head when he heard the door to the lounge open and forced a smile when Yang walked into the room.

"Good morning," the cardio surgeon greeted them rather pleasantly.

"Yeah, whatever Yang," Jackson grumbled in reply.

Cristina laughed as she walked up behind Jackson and leaned down to teasingly whisper in his ear. "What's the matter Avery? Not gettin' any?"

"How could you tell?" Brooks questioned sarcastically.

"Kepner's a dead giveaway too," she remarked. "Have you seen the ER the past couple days? It's eerily efficient, and Kepner does her best organizational work when Avery isn't distracting her."

Jackson grumbled as he did his best to ignore her. Luckily, he had a full schedule of surgeries to take his mind off of things. He stood up as he announced, "I got pre-ops to check on."

* * *

_**Day 11…**_

Jackson walked into the bathroom yawning and absentmindedly scratching his jaw. He sleepily brushed his teeth before he turned around and stared at his wife in the shower. He hadn't even noticed that the water was running. He was now eternally grateful that their shower stall had a clear glass door. He hadn't seen her naked in way too long and she looked phenomenal. Her curves drove him wild. He felt like his testosterone levels were at an all-time high because all that he wanted to do was ravage her.

April felt his gaze on her so she spun around and looked at him disapprovingly. "Jackson, go away."

"Can I join you?" He asked as persuasively as he could.

She laughed, "Nope, wait your turn." He walked towards the shower and pressed himself against the door. "Knock it off; I'm not letting you in. I'm almost finished." She giggled when she saw him reach for the door handle. "Don't even think about it," she warned.

He pouted at her. "I do have some self-control, ya know? I can take a shower with you."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief and he didn't even bother to argue any further. He huffed before turning on his heel and walking out of the bathroom. "You're the worst wife ever!"

She tossed her head back and laughed. "You're such a baby!" She called out with a laugh as he left the bathroom.

April finished her shower and grabbed a towel to wrap around her body. She padded out into the living room and hugged her grumpy husband who was stood up watching sports highlights with a glass of orange juice in his hand.

"Did you have a nice shower?" He asked unenergetically as he wrapped his arms around her small shoulders.

She nodded against his chest before she tilted her head upwards to look at him. He looked like she had taken away his favourite toy, which in reality she had. "What can I do to make you less grouchy?" She asked before placing a kiss on his chin. "Since we're not working, want to do something fun tonight?"

An eyebrow shot upwards in interest. "Like what?" He knew that whatever she suggested wouldn't be as fun as sex.

She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I can try to get tickets to the basketball game. That would be fun, wouldn't it?" She asked as she wriggled out of his hold and stepped towards the kitchen.

"That would be fun," he replied as he followed her.

"Great," she smiled brightly. She pushed herself onto the tips of her toes and kissed him soundly on the mouth. "We'll have a date night!"

* * *

April had made a call to a friend of hers that worked in promotions and managed to score two tickets to the Supersonics game. They went to dinner at a nice restaurant before the game and it was a great night. Seattle had even won!

"I had such a great time!" April stated happily as she walked through their front door. "Even though I don't really care that much about basketball," she giggled. She whirled around to face her husband and placed her hands on his chest. "Did you have a good time?"

"I did," he smiled. "I like taking you out." He grinned as he placed his hands on her hips and leaned down to give her a kiss. "I like showing you off."

"Showing me off?" She questioned as she felt her face flush. "What do you mean?"

Jackson chuckled as he pushed her into the living room. "I mean that you're hot, and I like showing other guys that you're mine." She had been especially adorable tonight and the jeans that she was wearing made her ass look incredible. There had been a guy a few seats down from them that had been blatantly checking her out throughout the game.

April smiled while biting down on her bottom lip, so that was why he had kept his arm wrapped around her all night. She knew that when women looked at them together, they were jealous, and possibly a little confused. Jackson was devastatingly gorgeous so all women looked at him. But she had never thought of men looking at them together and feeling jealous because she was on his arm. She had never really been that woman.

"I am yours," she whispered as she pulled him down on the couch with her. She shifted onto his lap and entwined her fingers around his neck. "I really love you," she stated lovingly.

Jackson smiled back at her as he slipped his hands underneath her green, long-sleeved shirt. "I really love you too."

She hungrily pressed her mouth against and he wasted no time before responding to her. He pressed his hands flat against her back and drew her closer to him. She moaned in approval and he grinned smugly as he dropped his mouth to her neck. He kissed downwards until he reached her cleavage while she ran her fingers along his scalp.

He admired her entire body but he had a newfound appreciation for her boobs since he wasn't allowed south of the border. He guided her shirt over her head and quickly removed her bra. He lapped at a nipple with his tongue while his hand massaged her other breast.

His name escaped her in a sound somewhere between a squeak and a groan and it sent a shot of electricity straight to his groin.

April ran her hands along his broad, muscular shoulders as she subtly changed her position in his lap. However, she moved enough to feel his massive erection beneath her.

She instantly felt guilty for getting so carried away so she placed both of her hands on his face and pulled his mouth away from her breast.

He looked up at her quizzically. "What?"

"You should go take a cold shower, baby," she told him regretfully.

Jackson sighed in disappointment and leaned back against the back of the sofa. "Right," he breathed.

She stroked his cheek as she kissed him softly. "I'm sorry."

"Can you do me a favour?"

"Absolutely," she nodded.

"Put your shirt back on," he requested with a pained facial expression.

April blushed as she grabbed her bra and shirt and held them against her chest. "I'm sorry," she apologized again.

Jackson couldn't help but laugh as he grabbed her waist and deposited her on the cushions of their couch. "It's fine. Only twenty-nine more days," he grimaced as he slowly got to his feet.

* * *

_**Day 24…**_

On a Saturday afternoon, after doing a load of laundry, April walked into the living room and saw that Jackson had pushed the coffee table to the side and was now sitting on the rug in just a pair of sweat pants. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously.

"I'm getting ready to work out. I don't feel like going all the way to the gym today so I'm just going to do it here," he explained. "It's easier."

"Can you please not?" She requested with a slight whine to her voice.

"Why?" He asked with a small smirk. He already knew the reason why, he just needed to hear her say it.

"Because you know how attractive I think that is. You're all muscley and then you get all sweaty." She licked her lips due to the thoughts racing through her mind.

She had gotten through the first two weeks of Lent with ease, but since then she had been…struggling. She knew that this had been her idea but her crumbling willpower was entirely Jackson's fault. She was convinced that he was trying to seduce her. He never wore clothes around the house anymore, every time that he kissed her it was long and slow, and completely mind-blowing, and he had just been doing everything right lately. He really was the world's best husband, with the most sinful body.

He brazenly grinned at her. "Well that's not my fault. I want to stay in shape. Why don't you get comfortable and watch me?"

She laughed with a roll of her eyes but did as he suggested. She grabbed a book that she had recently started reading and settled on the sofa. Every now and then she discreetly lowered the book and watched Jackson do a series of sit-ups.

He was so beautiful.

He did fifty sit-ups before he switched to push-ups. "Ya know," he grinned. "This is great motivation."

She rolled her eyes again and tried to return her concentration to her novel. "Just keep doing what you're doing. I don't care," she stated unconvincingly. She read four sentences before her eyes fell on him once again. The way that his shoulders bunched practically made her squirm. "Okay," she groaned before she tossed her book onto the other side of the couch. She walked over to him and placed her foot on his back in order to push him to the ground. "This has gotta stop."

He chuckled as he rolled over onto his back and quickly grabbed her foot and pulled her down on top of him. "Couldn't resist me, huh?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her body to his.

"Not when you look the way you do," she said before she kissed him.

"Now you know what I've been enduring for the past twenty-four days," he muttered between kisses. "You're a little tease."

April pulled back and looked down at him affronted. "I'm a tease?" She repeated incredulously. "Says the guy who's working out in the living room! You're the tease," she accused.

"You barely wear a bra anymore," he argued. "It's unbearable."

"You never wear a shirt anymore," she shot back.

Jackson tossed his head back and laughed loudly. "Stop arguing! This is way harder for me and you know it!"

She smacked his chest before she hopped to her feet and headed down the hallway.

"April," he called out to her. "April, come on!"

He heard a door close and he laughed to himself when he realized that they had just gotten into a fight over who was more of a tease. This agreement was really messing with their heads.

* * *

_**Day 32…**_

Jackson snuck up behind April and possessively looped his arm around her waist. He had a lull in his schedule and he only wanted to do one thing. She was standing at the nurses' station with her pen to a chart, and Karev was standing beside her, but he couldn't wait any longer. Over the past few days, they had taken a completely different approach to giving up sex for Lent. Instead of avoiding each other, or arguing, they made out like two horny high school kids whenever they got the chance. It was actually pretty fun.

"Come to an on-call room with me," he whispered.

April shivered as she felt her husband's hot breath in her ear. "I'm kinda busy right now, sweetheart," she responded as she looked at Alex out of the corner of her eye. They had been talking over a case that they were working on together.

Alex rolled his eyes when Avery turned to him with a sad, pleading look. "Just don't be late for surgery, Kepner," he huffed.

April smiled brightly and gently smacked Alex's arm in thanks. "Thank you Alex!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the peds surgeon mumbled.

Jackson led April by the hand to the nearest on-call room and excitedly opened the door for her. He wasted no time before he playfully pushed her back onto the bed and climbed on top of her. He kissed her passionately before he pulled back and frantically hauled her scrub top over her head. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed to create a little distance between them. "Slow down tiger," she said through light laughter.

He gave her a small, sheepish smile. "Sorry," he muttered. He leaned down to kiss her once again but slowed down the pace of his movements. "Ya know, I think this past month has turned me into the world's best kisser."

She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I think you were pretty amazing before honestly."

He hummed as he dropped his mouth to her neck. "Thanks babe." A devilish smirk spread across his face before he removed her tank top and began to kiss along her bra. "Do you like it better when I kiss you here?" He asked as he planted a soft kiss just above the front clasp of her bra. "Or here?" He dragged his lips up along the edge of her bra until he stopped at the top of the cup. "Or here?" He slipped his tongue inside her bra and found her nipple.

She let out a low moan and clenched her thighs together. He was doing terrible, but also wonderful, things to her. She gathered all of her willpower and firmly placed her hand underneath his chin. She raised his head and kissed him softly on the lips. "Be good."

He bit down on his bottom lip to contain his wide grin.

"I know that you have more willpower than this. You're an Avery, you're disciplined!"

He continued to smirk at her. "This is very different." He kissed her again before he returned to her cleavage. "You're the most tempting woman I've ever met," he whispered.

She ran her hands over the back of his head and down his back as he impishly nipped her skin with his teeth. She knew that she needed to stop him but she didn't want to.

He moved down to her navel and kissed all of the exposed flesh that he could reach. He was too tempted to untie the strings of her scrub pants so he rolled over and collapsed in defeat on the other side of the bed.

She quickly rolled into his side and laid her head on his chest. She looked up at him apologetically. "I'm sorry," she said guiltily.

"It's okay," he sighed as he ran a hand through her hair. "Only eight more days. Only eight more days," he chanted to himself.

April propped her chin up on his chest and smiled at him. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"No," he grinned, "but you can make it up to me in eight days."

* * *

_**Day 40…**_

"Thanks for coming guys!" April called out from the patio as she watched her friends get in their cars. They had invited a large number of their co-workers over for dinner but she was glad that they were finally leaving.

When Meredith and Derek's SUV pulled away, April rushed back into the house and ran to the kitchen. Jackson was standing at the sink, doing the dishes, and she approached him with a mischievous grin.

"Jackson," she purred as she placed her hands on his back. "Everyone is gone."

"Okay," he nodded. "You can relax while I do the dishes."

She manoeuvred to stand at his side and looked up at him in surprise. "You do know what today is, don't you?"

He nodded once again. "Yup, Lent is over, and you were right, it was refreshing. Rejuvenating. I feel great. In fact," he began slowly. "I think that we should do this whole no sex thing for a little bit longer."

April didn't believe his words for a second. She pressed the front of her body against his side and whispered, "Really? Because I want you inside of me so bad that I can barely stand it."

Jackson dropped the plate that he was holding and removed his hands from the sink. He dried them off before he slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her eagerly. He had been trying to play hard to get to prove a point but to hell with that.

Their kissing was rough, all teeth and tongue, and they fought to rid each other of their clothes. April pulled his sweater over his head and he ripped her blouse from her body. She giggled and started to work on opening his belt as the buttons clattered against the tiled floor. She was too worked up to focus on anything besides being with him, and she knew that he felt the same way. She gave him a long kiss before she spun around and pushed her jeans and underwear down to her knees.

"Ah, fuck yes," Jackson panted in excitement. She knew that he loved this position. He pushed his own jeans and boxers to the floor before he slowly entered her from behind. He hissed and tangled one of his hands in her thick hair. "Holy shit," he spoke through gritted teeth.

April moaned in agreement as she placed her hands flat against the kitchen counter for support. She bit down on her bottom lip as he started to thrust inside of her. She arched her back and he reflexively pulled her back against his chest. She wrapped an arm around his head and turned her neck so that their lips could meet. She grunted and trapped his bottom lip between her teeth when his hand skidded down over her stomach and slipped between her legs.

"Jackson," she squeaked in pleasure.

His response was to grin devilishly at her. He used the hand that was in her hair to gently tug her head backwards so that he could nip at the taut skin of her neck. She groaned and bucked back against him, and he closed his eyes to savour the moment. She really had no idea that the simplest things she did drove him nuts. "You are so sexy, April," he whispered.

She brushed her nose against his cheek before she intensely locked eyes with him. They shared a breath before a smirk formed at the corner of her beautiful mouth. "Harder," she instructed. "I'm not going to break."

A shiver ran down his spine and he was surprised that he didn't come right there on the spot.

He did as she requested and also moved his hand from her hair to her breast as he doubled his effort to get her to that pinnacle that she was aching for. He knew that she was close; he could feel her body tightening and hear her breathing become less rhythmic. He pushed his fingers underneath her bra and tweaked a nipple at the same time that he slipped two of his fingers inside of her. Her body stilled for a moment before she arched her back and cried out a string of words that Jackson had a hard time interpreting.

It only took two more shallow thrusts for him to finish as well, with a groan ripping from the back of his throat.

His upper body flopped on top of hers as they both fought to catch their breath. After a few moments, he placed a series of kisses down her back before he pulled out of her and took a step backwards. He pulled his boxers back up but kicked his jeans across the kitchen floor.

April fixed her underwear as well and did the same thing to her jeans. She slowly turned around and faced him with a big smile. "Wow."

"Yeah…wow," he agreed. There were no other words. That had been too good to accurately describe. He reached forward and cupped her jaw so that he could draw her into him. He gave her another long kiss before he spoke again. "You were incredible."

"No, you were incredible," she giggled. They kissed again as she lazily draped her arms over his shoulders. "Wanna go to the bedroom?" She asked coyly.

He grinned and surprised her by tossing her over his shoulder. "Yeah, let's go to the bedroom. We'll be lucky if we come out before another forty days pass."

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! :)**


	5. Me and You…and a Baby

**A/N: Sometimes a girl just needs to write about a universe where Jackson and April are happy and Mark Sloan is still alive. Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as usual.**

* * *

_**Me and You…and a Baby**_

Jackson stood outside the nursery window and grinned uncontrollably as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. All of the newborn babies were squirming and restless. It was precious.

"You want one, don't you?" A voice called from behind him.

Jackson turned his head and smiled at Karev. He didn't say anything but the look on his face was response enough.

Alex clapped him on the shoulder as he moved to stand beside him. The plastics surgeon had been hanging around the nursery and the Neonatal unit a lot over the past couple of days and he had taken notice. "Just don't give Elizabeth any ideas," he commented. He and the elder Avery were giving their relationship another shot and he knew that they weren't ready to talk about kids. Their relationship was still fragile; there were still a lot of issues and insecurities to sort through.

"I won't," Jackson chuckled. He smiled as one of the newborns relentlessly tried to grab his ankle. He had never thought that he would feel this type of longing for a child, but that had been before he had gotten involved with April Kepner. It was her nurturing, caring nature that made him want to have a child that much more. "Do you think April's ready for a baby?"

Alex thought for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah, I think she is." He wrinkled up his nose in disgust before he added, "You two are going to have the most annoyingly good-looking children, with her high-pitched voice and your—"

Jackson elbowed him in the stomach to cut him off. "Shut it, Karev," he laughed as he turned away from the nursery window.

"I'm just sayin'," Alex continued as he followed him.

Jackson ignored him as they walked towards the elevators together. He hoped that his friend was right, and that April was ready to have children. It had been all that he could think about recently. He really wanted a tiny human of his own. He wanted a child to care for and spoil.

He walked into the attendings' locker room and smiled brightly at his wife, who had already changed into her street clothes. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled his nose into her hair. "Hey babe."

"Hi," she giggled. "You seem happy to see me."

"So happy," he groaned. He pressed a quick kiss on the side of her neck before he let her go and started to remove his scrubs. "Do you want to go out to dinner tonight? Somewhere nice."

April turned to him with heightened suspicions. "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion." He leaned in and softly kissed her lips. "I just thought it'd be nice."

She gave him a kiss in return as she placed a hand on his face. "How about we stay in instead? Make it a little more intimate?"

"That sounds way better," he growled. "You are so smart." He placed both of his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. He kissed her hungrily but he pulled away when he felt something hit his head. "Ouch!" He turned to face Karev and looked at him incredulously. "Did you just throw something at me?"

"Yup," he nodded. "It was a pen. There are other people in this room, ya know?"

April blushed and covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from dissolving into laughter. "Sorry, Alex."

"Just go home," the disgruntled peds surgeon replied.

April agreed as she made eye contact with her husband. "Yeah, let's go home."

* * *

April sighed in contentment as she cuddled into Jackson's side and sipped from her glass of wine. They were sitting on their couch after a great meal and she felt exceptionally lazy, and a little frisky. She practically purred as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started to run his hand through her hair.

"You seem comfortable," he joked.

"Hmm, so comfortable," she responded as she tilted her head upwards and grazed the base of his neck with her nose. "Thanks for cooking dinner."

"No problem," he smiled. "Lasagna is kinda becoming my specialty."

She laughed, "Yes, your cooking skills have certainly improved since you married me." She tilted her head back even further so that her lips could make contact with his neck. She ran her hand along his thigh and giggled when he tossed his head back and groaned. She loved that it was so easy to get him going.

"I kinda want to talk about something before we get to this point in the night," he stated breathlessly.

She hummed before she nipped his earlobe between her teeth. "What is it?" She placed her wine glass on the coffee table before she crawled into his lap. "Can it wait until after?" She asked seductively.

"Well," Jackson moaned as he placed his hands on her waist. "It has to do with…during."

April pulled back and looked at him in bewilderment. "_During_?"

Jackson laughed to himself as he ran a hand over his face. "Okay, that was a stupid way to say it. What I'm trying to say is that I love you and I feel like we're really settled, both in our marriage and at work, we've been married for almost two years now, and I—"

She interrupted his speech with a passionate kiss. She caught him completely off guard so when she pulled away, he just stared at her with a very confused facial expression. "You wanna have a baby, don't you?" She guessed with a large grin.

"Yeah," he smiled in relief. "I wanna have a baby. I want to make a baby with you."

April squealed happily before she returned to kissing him. She was ready to take that next step too. She couldn't wait to raise children with him, and she had been getting those kinds of urges recently. The last time that she had gone to the mall alone she had spent hours looking at baby clothes. "You are so wonderful, Jackson Avery."

He grinned, "You're pretty wonderful too." He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and slowly got to his feet. "You want to take this into the bedroom?"

She smiled as she ran her fingers over his scalp. "Definitely, let's go make a baby."

* * *

_**3 Months Later…**_

Jackson panted as he lay on his back and watched his chest rapidly move up and down. April lay beside him and he could hear her trying to catch her breath as well. They had been having sex regularly…well, probably more than regularly…since they had decided to have a baby. So far they had nothing to show for their hard work. It was starting to feel a little bit like they had to schedule time together, but it hadn't ruined the romance or the intimacy. This time, however, things hadn't exactly gone as he had hoped.

It had possibly been the worst sex of their entire relationship. It had been awkward, and April had been quiet…and it was just not something that he wanted to relive.

He took a deep breath before he asked fearfully, "You didn't uh…you didn't…?" He steeled his nerves before he finished his sentence. "You didn't come, did you?"

She was silent for a moment before she responded honestly. "No," she sighed, "I didn't."

Jackson turned over onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. "Why not? What was wrong with it? Well a lot of things were wrong with that," he said more to himself. "But you always…" His eyes widened in horror as a thought struck him. "You haven't been faking it our entire relationship, have you?"

April couldn't stop a giggle from escaping. "No," she answered before she covered her mouth with her hand. She watched him peer down at her, completely unimpressed, and she took pity on him. "Sorry, sweetie," she quickly apologized. She reached upward and stroked his cheek. "I definitely haven't been faking it. You are amazing."

"Okay, good," he sighed in relief. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "Then why not this time? Are you stressed out about something?" He asked in concern.

"I think…um…I think it's the pressure," she admitted shyly.

"The pressure?" He repeated in confusion.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I mean, it's scientifically proven that chance of conception increases when the woman orgasms, and that's a lot of pressure on me."

"Pressure on you?" He repeated incredulously. "I'm the one that's freaking out! It's my little soldiers that have to go into battle! Your body is a very hostile environment for them!"

She laughed boisterously, "Little soldiers?" She rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow to contain some of her laughter.

Jackson felt a surge of frustration before he realized how ridiculous they were both acting. They were trying to make a baby, it shouldn't feel this clinical. Both of them shouldn't feel pressured. It was supposed to be beautiful and natural. He soothingly rubbed her shoulder before he kissed her sweetly on the top of the head. "Let's just take some time to relax," he whispered.

She rolled over to face him again and a worried expression graced her face. "Maybe we should see a fertility specialist?"

He affectionately tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear as he assured her, "We haven't been trying that long." It had only been three months and her body needed to adjust to the fact that she was no longer taking the birth control pill. There was no need for them to get worried yet. "We just need to relax a little. How about a bath?"

She smiled thankfully, "That sounds amazing."

He kissed her quickly before he slid out of bed. He didn't even bother to cover himself up and it caused her to giggle.

"I know you're looking at my butt," he said as he walked into the bathroom.

"I am," she laughed. "Your butt is cute."

"I know," he called back smugly as he watched water begin to fill the tub.

He grinned to himself as he heard April continue to giggle, she was loosening up already. He added some bubble bath and lit a couple of candles before he stepped back into the bedroom. To his surprise, their bed was empty and April was nowhere to be seen. He was about to call out for her when she stepped into the bedroom from the hallway. She was wearing his shirt and she was holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

She shrugged with a playful smile. "I figured this might help."

He grinned as he gently grasped her wrist. "Good idea."

He led into the bathroom and she placed the champagne and glasses on the vanity. He slipped into the bath while she poured the alcohol. She removed the t-shirt she was wearing before she slid into the bathtub with the two glasses in her hands.

Jackson wrapped one arm around her waist while the other accepted a glass of champagne. "Thank you," he murmured as he kissed her neck.

"We haven't done this in a while," she commented as she closed her eyes.

He hummed in agreement. "No, we haven't." He took a sip from his glass before he spoke again. "We should do this all the time, at least once a week."

She rested her back against his chest as she nodded. They talked about work and chatted about the latest hospital gossip as they tried to get their minds as far away from the technical aspect of reproduction as possible. They finished the bottle of champagne and got out of the tub once the water became cold.

Jackson wrapped a towel around his waist before he wrapped one around his wife. He cradled her face and kissed her slowly before they walked back into the bedroom.

"Relax," he whispered as they fell back onto the mattress. "I love you."

"I love you too," she murmured before she pressed her lips to his.

And she told herself that she was going to try not to think at all for at least the next forty minutes.

* * *

_**A month and a half later…**_

April giddily stared down at her blood work results. She was pregnant and she couldn't believe it! She had kept the symptoms stealthily hidden from Jackson but she had had her suspicions for the past week so she had finally decided to take a blood test. She had wanted to be absolutely positive before she even mentioned it to Jackson. She hadn't wanted to get her husband's hopes up, or her own, which is why she had been so nervous before she had gotten her results. Luckily, the odds had been in their favour this time.

She squealed excitedly and kicked her legs out in front of her as she sat back on the sofa in the attendings' lounge. She glanced upward and awkwardly met the gaze of Alex Karev. She hadn't even heard the door open.

"Oh, hey Alex, what's up?" She asked as she tucked the piece of paper inside the pocket of her lab coat.

He stared at her like she had ten heads as he walked towards the couch. "Nothing," he replied slowly. "What the hell were you doing?" He asked, but he wasn't sure if he actually wanted to know the answer.

April thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip before she shifted to face her couch companion. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Depends on what it is," Alex mumbled as he reached towards the coffee table and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.

"Well don't tell anyone until after tonight because I haven't told Jackson yet…I'm pregnant!" She announced with an overjoyed grin.

Alex's response was immediate. "No shit," he chuckled. "I'm surprised that Avery hasn't figured it out already."

April raised an eyebrow at her friend in confusion. "What do you mean? How would he know?"

He coughed before he looked down at her chest. "Your tits have gotten huge."

"Alex!" She forcefully smacked his arm before she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I look! Whatever," he shot back. "It's hard not to."

The curiosity was undeniable so April couldn't stop herself from sizing up her own chest. "Really?" She asked herself more than him.

Brooks entered the attendings' lounge and this time April heard the door open. "Hi Liam," she smiled pleasantly.

"Hey, what's up?" The neuro surgeon inquired conversationally.

"We're talking about Kepner's boobs," Alex replied bluntly.

April smacked him for the second time in less than five minutes. "Alex!" She hopped off of the couch and headed towards the door. "I'm leaving now, and you better not talk about me!"

Alex laughed as Brooks turned to him in puzzlement. "What is going on?"

The peds doctor shrugged dismissively, "You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Later that night, April sat in bed reading a medical journal. Jackson was brushing his teeth in the bathroom and once he was finished, he stood in the doorway.

"Did you get my text? Before you went to the store?"

"I did," she nodded. "And I still don't know if I fully understand your obsession with tacos but I picked up some kits anyway. I picked up something else I think you'll like too."

He raised an eyebrow and asked playfully, "Burrito kits?"

"No," she laughed. "Go check it out; it's on the kitchen counter."

He left the bedroom and April excitedly waited for him to return. She carelessly tossed her reading material on the floor and sat up a little straighter. This was playing out exactly like she had always imagined.

He was taking a lot longer than she had anticipated and she was just thinking about getting out of bed when he appeared in the bedroom once again. He was holding the t-shirt that read 'World's Greatest Dad' against his chest and he looked absolutely shocked. He opened his mouth a few times but nothing came out.

April slowly slipped out of bed and approached him. "What do you think?" She asked quietly. There was a slight quiver to her voice, but it was excitement, not nervousness.

"You're really pregnant?" His voice was so soft that she barely heard him and he looked a little misty eyed.

"Yeah, I am," she smiled. "I got blood work done today. I am definitely pregnant."

He was silent once again until he gave her a large smile. "Wow," he whispered. He placed one hand on her hip to pull her closer while he placed his other hand on her abdomen. "Wow, we're going to have a baby."

"Yeah, we are," she smiled as she began to cry. She placed both of her hands on his face and pulled him down for an intense kiss. "Are you happy?"

He wiped the tears from her eyes before he lifted her off of her feet and kissed her again. "Happy doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now. Are you happy?"

She nodded as she brushed her nose against his. "So happy, and I feel so blessed."

* * *

_**The First Trimester**_

Jackson grinned to himself as he opened his eyes and placed a kiss on the back of the neck of his sleeping wife. She began to stir as he moved his mouth down to her shoulder.

"Good morning, Jackson," she mumbled sleepily.

"Good morning, mother of my child."

She giggled at his greeting but couldn't stop herself from cringing as he slipped his hand down her stomach. "Jackson, don't," she whispered as she caught his hand.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked in concern. She stayed silent so he placed his hand on her shoulder and gently rolled her onto her back so that he could read her facial expressions. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her lovingly. "What is it?" He persisted. "Tell me what's going on."

She wrinkled up her nose in that way that he found completely adorable before she answered him. "I just don't feel very sexy right now. I'm not in the mood, sorry."

So far, pregnancy was not the miracle that her mother had described. She had a terrible case of morning sickness that usually hit her in the morning _and_ later in the day. She couldn't even walk into the hospital cafeteria anymore without getting hit with a wave of nausea. She got frequent headaches, she felt consistently bloated, her breasts were incredibly tender, and she was constantly tired. She had already started to spend more time doing scheduled general procedures and less time in the ER.

Jackson, for his part, was handling everything wonderfully. He was very concerned with her nutrition, exercise, and vitamin intake. He was reading every book about pregnancy that he could get his hands on and he was willing to cater to her every need and desire. He had already made a few late night food runs and he knew how to deal with her unpredictable emotions better than anybody else. He also looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.

In short, he was incredible.

"I think that you're beautiful," he whispered. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "It might make you feel better."

April smiled at him knowingly, she knew that he was genuine and that he wanted to make her feel good, but she also knew that he was horny. She could tell by the way his eyes drifted over her body. She chewed on her bottom lip before she shimmied out of her panties and tentatively climbed into his lap. He had been so good to her lately that she wanted to do something small to repay him. She had no doubt that he would enjoy this kind of reward but she would think of something more thoughtful later.

Maybe she would buy him new sneakers.

"I'm a little heavier now," she whispered shyly.

Jackson smiled as he sat upright. He grasped her hips and adjusted her position in his lap. "You're carrying my baby," he stated happily, "you're officially the sexiest woman in the world to me." She rolled her eyes but a traitorous blush spread across her cheeks. He grinned and leaned forward to nuzzle his nose against hers. "I hope that he or she gets your nose, it's so cute."

April laughed before grabbing his face to give him a kiss. "You're laying the charm on a little thick, I think," she teased.

He simply smiled at her and stared at her with those gorgeous eyes. She plucked at the waistband of his boxers and instead of wasting time to take them off, he shifted the material and freed himself from the cotton constrains. She lifted herself up and slowly sank down onto him. He groaned and tossed his head back in pleasure before he guided her t-shirt over her head. He carelessly tossed the garment aside and slowly ran his hands up her sides until they cupped her full breasts.

"Oh, I get it now," she chuckled breathlessly. "You just wanted to have sex because my boobs have gotten bigger."

"Just to be clear, your boobs have always been a good reason to have sex," he replied cheekily. He knew that she was tender so he gently ran his thumbs across her nipples. "But I'm not complaining."

She pinched his waist in response and he laughed. He continued the movement of his thumbs as he placed open mouth kisses down her neck. Her breath hitched and she squirmed on top of him, he knew that she was close. "Already?" He whispered mischievously. "They're really sensitive, huh?"

He was pretty sure that this was one of the hottest things he had ever seen in his life. She was almost entirely getting off because of the sensation of his hands on her breasts. He captured one of her puckered up nipples in his mouth and she tightly wrapped both of her arms around his neck.

"J-Jackson," she whimpered. She tightened around him and reached her orgasm with a loud cry. She fell against his chest after experiencing a level of pleasure that she had never felt before. Her body felt like jelly and she knew that she wouldn't be moving for a while. She rested her head on his shoulder and pressed a kiss on his neck as she felt him finish inside of her. "Mmm, I love you."

Jackson panted as he ran his hands along the ridges of her spine. "I love you too," he panted, "and that was so freakin' hot."

"What was?" She giggled.

Jackson carefully rolled her onto her back and stared down at her. Her legs and arms were still locked around his body and he loved the feeling of being so close to her. "Come on?" He prompted with a raised eyebrow. She had to realize what he was talking about. After a moment she blushed and he grinned triumphantly. "Yeah," he smirked, "your body is ready to go without much work on my part. It's hot."

He practically sang the last word and it made her laugh. "I feel like you're going to take advantage of my overactive hormones."

"No," he chuckled, "I'll just be at your service to fulfill your needs."

She coyly bit down on her bottom lip before she spoke softly. His responses to her made her feel incredibly attractive and to her surprise, she was aroused once again. "Good, because I wanna go again."

* * *

Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan walked into the attending's lounge and found Jackson sitting at the table staring off into space. He didn't have a magazine or a cup of coffee in front of him, and he wasn't eating. He was just sitting there with unfocused eyes and a goofy grin on his face. Mark passed by and gently smacked the younger plastic surgeon on the back of the head.

"What's going on with you?" He inquired nosily.

Jackson simply smirked and looked down into his lap.

Derek grinned knowingly and turned to his best friend. "Based on the look on Avery's face, I would say that the young man has discovered pregnancy sex."

Jackson continued to grin foolishly and Mark laughed, "Yeah, you're definitely right."

"I read somewhere," Jackson began in a conspiratorial whisper, "that the way that her hormones are changing right now are similar to the way that a boy's change when he first hits puberty."

Mark whistled as he sat down at the table with a cup of coffee. "I remember it well."

Derek chuckled. "Yeah, the way that you were in seventh grade was disturbing. I also remember what Meredith was like when she was pregnant."

"I'm having the time of my life," Jackson grinned. "She wants it all the time, and I am _more _than willing to appease her."

"And can I just say that Kepner's been lookin' real good lately." Pregnancy suited the trauma surgeon, she had that unmistakable glow.

Jackson narrowed his eyes at his mentor. "No, you cannot say that."

Mark lowered his head guiltily but before he could say anything, the red-head in question appeared in the lounge doorway.

"Jackson," she called anxiously. "I need to talk to you about something."

Jackson stood up and adjusted his lab coat as he devilishly muttered, "Sorry gentlemen, duty calls."

He followed his wife to the nearest on-call room and promptly closed the door behind him.

"How are you?" He asked with a smile. "How's my baby?"

"Your baby is wonderful," she answered quickly. She grabbed the lapels of his coat and roughly pulled him to her. "But I'm having a hard time; all that I can think about is sex. I feel like an animal in heat."

He chuckled huskily, "Don't feel bad about it, it's natural."

She eagerly pressed her mouth against his as she tugged on the strings of his scrub pants. "I know;" she murmured distractedly, "now take off your pants."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied obediently.

* * *

_**The Second Trimester**_

The joys of pregnancy for Jackson continued well into the second trimester. April was still fairly sexually insatiable and once their baby began to move, his hands spent a lot of time on her belly when they were alone.

"He or she was bored in the pit today," April told her husband as she climbed into bed. He helped her arrange her pillows to try to alleviate her lower back pain and she smiled at him thankfully. "Wouldn't stop moving," she continued. "It was very distracting."

Jackson smiled brightly as he rolled over onto his stomach and shifted downwards so that his head was near her midsection. "That's so cool. You have constant company."

April playfully rolled her eyes. "Okay, if it's so cool then the next time that we do this, you can carry the baby."

"I would if I could," he laughed. "But I think that I'm doing a pretty good job taking care of your every need."

"You are," she sighed cheerfully. She leaned forward and his lips met hers in a soft kiss. "Thanks for everything. I love you."

"I love you too, and I should be the one thanking you." They kissed again before his mind strayed to a completely different topic. "Have I told you about the kickass surgery Brooks and I are doing tomorrow?"

"No, you haven't," she laughed. But she could tell by the way that his eyes lit up that it was something that he was very excited about.

Jackson began to explain their patient to April but he didn't miss the way she winced and shifted uncomfortably. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, the baby is just feeling a little energetic." Jackson's eyes lit up once again and she immediately took his hand. "See?"

"Wow," Jackson stated in amazement as April guided his hand along her stomach. It wasn't very powerful but it was distinct. His baby was definitely moving. "This is amazing. I can't believe that my kid's in there…kicking."

April couldn't help but smile brightly at his reaction to their kicking baby. The most amazing thing was that their baby had been kicking for over a week now and he reacted like this every single time. He was so excited and she knew that he was going to make such an incredible father. "Maybe he or she is kicking up a storm because they can hear Daddy's voice." Their baby did have a tendency to move more when she was having a conversation with someone, especially if it was with Jackson.

He felt the baby kick again. "God, this is amazing," he stated again with a laugh. "I think we have an athlete on our hands."

"Well that's great," April replied as she settled back against the large pile of pillows. "Just as long as he or she lets me get some rest tonight. I have a hernia repair in the morning."

Jackson smiled as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on April's growing belly. "Goodnight now baby." He moved upwards and placed a soft kiss on his wife's mouth. "You should go to sleep now too."

She smiled playfully as she wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. "Can we fool around a little first?"

He chuckled as he placed both of his hands on either side of her and held his body above hers. "Yeah, that can be arranged."

* * *

Jackson and April held hands as they walked down the obstetrics hallway. Today was a big day. At their appointment today they would hopefully find out the sex of their baby. They had talked for a long time about whether or not they actually wanted to know. It had been preparation vs. surprise and eventually they had decided that yes, they wanted to know. They were too excited to wait until the baby was born.

They walked into an exam room and were pleasantly greeted by their OB, Dr. Colin Thomas. He seemed like a good guy and he was a good doctor. Jackson had heavily researched him before they had officially chosen him, and he had good credentials and a good reputation. He wanted the very best for his wife and child. He hadn't been willing to let just anyone be their doctor. He supposed that some of his grandfather's brainwashing had sunken in.

"Good morning," the man in pink scrubs smiled pleasantly. "How are we today? Dr. Kepner? Dr. Avery?"

"Good, thanks," Jackson smiled as he helped April up onto the exam table. "She's a little excited," he added with a laugh.

Dr. Thomas chuckled as he pulled on a pair of gloves. "As she should be. Yesterday in the cafeteria line your wife was telling me about all the exploratory movements your baby has been doing. I'm impressed, your baby started to kick early."

Jackson smiled smugly, "Well, he is an Avery."

April smacked his chest in reprimand while Dr. Thomas picked up on his word choice. "_He_?"

"It's just a feeling," he shrugged.

"And what does Mom think?" The OB asked curiously.

"I think it's a girl," April replied firmly. "I have three sisters and Jackson's the first boy on his mother's side in three generations. I'm playing the odds," she giggled.

"Well, we shall see," Thomas grinned.

April lifted her scrub top and Jackson took her hand and softly kissed the top of her head while the doctor spread the cool gel across her belly. The ultrasound machine whirred to life and Jackson felt his knees bounce excitedly. April tightly squeezed his hand and he knew that she was just as eager as he was. All that she had been able to talk about the past couple of days involved decorating the nursery.

"The heart sounds excellent," Thomas commented as he moved the wand over April's stomach. "Baby is growing on schedule and looks very healthy."

Grey, slightly blurry images filled the computer screen in front of them and the OB grinned as he pointed. "There. It looks like Baby Avery is a happy, healthy baby boy."

Jackson kissed April's head again and took a deep breath to compose himself. "A boy," he murmured in slight disbelief. He had been right in his prediction but the news still rocked him to the core.

April nodded as she bit down on her bottom lip to prevent herself from blubbering hysterically. "Yeah, a boy," she squeaked. Dr. Thomas maneuvered the wand and they caught a clear glimpse of the distinguishing body part. "Definitely a boy," she giggled.

"What a stud," Jackson joked proudly.

The OB took a few images for the happy couple before he turned off the ultrasound machine and cleaned off the red-head's stomach. "Congratulations!" He smiled before he left the room to give them a little privacy.

April quickly grabbed her husband's face and gave him a firm kiss. He kissed her back as he felt pure happiness surge through him. They were having a boy! He could buy him mini-Air Jordans, play sports with him, and talk to him about girls. He had so much to teach him…

He pulled away from April as he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had a fairly decent relationship with his father now but he hadn't when he had been growing up. How was he supposed to raise a child and be a father when he had never really had one of his own?

* * *

_**The Third Trimester**_

Jackson tentatively walked into the hospital's daycare and spotted Sloan playing with Sofia. He approached the father and daughter and awkwardly greeted them. "Hey, what's up?"

"Oh, ya know," Sloan chuckled. "Just doing some coloring." He noticed that the younger man was hovering uncomfortably so he gestured towards the small, plastic chair on the other side of the table. "Sit down, join us." Avery did as he was told but remained silent. He could tell that something was bothering him, and that it wasn't work related. "What's going on?"

Jackson looked down at his shoes for a long moment before he confessed what had been bothering him since they had discovered the sex of their baby. "I don't know if I'm ready for this," he breathed. "I don't know if I can do it…if I can be a father…" He had always wanted this child but finding out the sex had made everything so real and it had forced him to think about things that he generally didn't like to think about. He should have seen this coming but he hadn't, and he hadn't been prepared for the emotional fallout. The man across from him furrowed his brow in confusion so he continued. "My Dad walked out on me when I was five. He moved halfway across the world when I was seven. All I've ever had is my Mom. How am I supposed to know what to do?" He had always told himself that he would be a better father to his children than Carson had been to him and Elizabeth…but what if he wasn't? What if he sucked?

Sloan smiled knowingly as he ran his hand over Sofia's head. "Don't even worry about it, Avery. You'll know." He had never had much of a father figure either growing up and he liked to think that he was an excellent Dad.

"You'll know?" Jackson repeated in frustration. "That's all you got!"

He continued to smile widely. "When April has that baby and you hold him in your arms for the first time, and when he looks up at you or grabs your finger, you'll be done for." He chuckled as he reflected on his memory of holding Sofia for the first time. "You'll have a whole new reason for living and nothing else will matter. You'll know what to do," he reiterated. "And if you don't, well, then you have me."

Jackson laughed softly as he picked up one of the crayons on the table in front of him. He knew that all that he wanted to do was care for his son, and love him, and protect him. He hoped that that would be enough to get him through the hard stuff. He knew that April was going to be unbelievable, she was born to be a mother, and Sloan was right, he had a lot of friends with kids and he had lots of people to support him. His mother was going crazy with excitement over the nearing arrival of her first grandchild.

"You're gonna be fine, Avery."

Jackson nodded slowly and allowed himself to smile. "Thanks, man."

"Anytime," Sloan nodded with a grin. "Anytime."

Jackson left the daycare and immediately headed to the ER to find his wife. He spotted her at the nurses' station and sidled up to her. "Can we talk for a sec?" He asked as he gently ran his hand down her back.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Of course."

He had been standoffish for a while now and she kept meaning to address the issue but she was afraid. She had discussed his behavior with everyone, her mother, her sisters, Meredith, Brooks, even, Alex, and they all said the same exact thing. He was just nervous, he was having pre-parent jitters. It was nothing to fret over.

He led her by the hand to the nearest on-call room and took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I'm sorry…for acting so weird lately."

"It's okay," she smiled. "Just, um, what's been going on?" She asked as she took both of his hands in hers.

"I've been scared," he finally confessed. "I'm scared that I'm not going to be a good father."

"What?" She questioned with a disbelieving laugh. "You're going to be great." She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him softly. "If you take care of this baby even half as well as you take care of me, then we're going to be fine."

He kissed her back but he still wasn't fully comforted. "If I'm not any good can you help me through it?"

He was so vulnerable that it sent all of her hormones into overdrive. All that she wanted to do was hold him. She wasn't sure if she had ever found him more adorable. She let go of his hands and placed both of hers on his face. "Yes," she promised. "We'll do it together. It's me and you…and now this baby," she giggled.

That put his mind at ease and he exhaled heavily before he kissed her. He knew that they could do it together.

* * *

**A/N: I had to let April tell Jackson that way because you know, it's the way she's always wanted! Lol.**

**And don't worry, Baby Avery is happy and healthy and was delivered without any complications. His name is Parker :)**

**Please leave a review! :)**


	6. Whatever You Want

**A/N: Here you go: Japril fluff! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as usual.**

* * *

_**Whatever You Want**_

Meredith cooed to the newest Avery while April held Alexander Shepherd.

April, although still on maternity leave, had stopped by the hospital to pick Jackson up from work, and she had been pleasantly surprised to run into Meredith picking Alexander up from daycare.

"He gets cuter every day, Mer," the red-head gushed before she returned to talking to the toddler. Alexander was very intelligent for his age and he was telling her all about how his Daddy fixed people's brains.

Meredith laughed, "So does this little guy. Look at those eyes!"

April smiled brightly. Her baby was beautiful, if she did say so herself. Parker Daniel Avery was only four months old and already he had everyone that he had ever met wrapped around his little finger. He was such a sweet, quiet, pleasant baby. Also, he had Jackson's eyes and her dimples, it was a dangerous combination. She was already scared of the effect that he would have on women when he got older.

"Hey you!"

Parker's eyes widened and he instinctually turned his head towards the familiar voice.

April looked up and smiled broadly at Jackson walking down the hallway towards them. "Hi honey, how was your day?"

He softly kissed the top of April's head before he answered. "I had a good day. I missed you guys though." He took his son off of Meredith's hands and gently tickled his tummy. "Hey buddy!" The baby giggled before burrowing his head in his father's neck. Jackson smiled at Parker before turning back to his wife. "What's it like outside?"

A super snowstorm was heading towards Seattle and Jackson had asked for the night off so that he could be with his wife and newborn baby. If he was stuck at the hospital he would just be worrying too much to help patients anyway. He had become even more protective of his family since its number had expanded.

"It just started to snow," April informed him.

Jackson looped his arm around April's waist as he said, "Well we should head home then, before it gets too bad."

April nodded and handed Alexander back to Meredith with a smile. "Bye Meredith. I hope that tonight isn't too bad for you guys."

"You too!" The general surgeon called. "I'll stop by to visit soon." She and April's relationship had been steadily improving for years but motherhood had brought them together even more. It was the one thing that she couldn't share with Cristina.

* * *

April curled up on the sofa with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. She had just changed into her sleepwear, a tank top and a pair of shorts, and had decided to relax for the rest of the evening. She smiled as she looked up at Jackson, who had just walked into the living room wearing only a pair of plaid pajama pants.

He sat down beside her on the couch and kissed her softly on the cheek. "He's asleep."

She smiled happily. "I can't get over what a good baby he is." Parker was easy to rock to sleep and unless he was awoken by one of them, he usually slept like a log. She laughed, "He must get it from you because my Mom says that I was a nightmare when I was a baby."

He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "I can't imagine that." He moved over to the other side of the couch, leaning on the armrest, and he invitingly opened his arms wide. "Get over here!"

She grinned to herself before she laid her mug on the coffee table and crawled towards him. She cuddled into his chest and he wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulders. She giggled quietly as he trailed his fingers down her bare arm.

He loved nights like this, when he and April just stayed in and relaxed, just enjoyed each other's company. Nights like this had become common since April had given birth but they were usually interrupted by his pager or nighttime feedings. He loved being a father, even more than he had imagined he would. Mark had been right, from the very first time that he had laid eyes on his boy his life had been changed forever. He had already baby proofed the house and he read to Parker as often as he could. He left the singing to April. He loved being a father but it was nice to spend some time alone with his wife too.

He glanced up as he heard a loud rattling on the window. Hail stones were beating against the side of their house and the wind howled loudly. The winter storm had started an hour and a half ago and it showed no signs of letting up any time soon.

He was so happy that he was here and not at the hospital.

She too turned her attention to the window. "I think that this is the worst storm that's happened in Seattle since we moved here."

"That one our second year of residency was pretty bad," he commented. "Remember? Charles and I lost power."

"Yeah, I remember that," she whispered. "We even had electrical problems at the hospital the next day."

"I was super afraid of the dark when I was a kid," he confessed with a laugh.

She tilted her head upwards so that she could see his face. "Really?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I had a nightlight for a pretty long time. Elizabeth teased me about it endlessly."

April smiled as she ran her index finger along his bare chest. "I think that's cute."

"What were you afraid of?" He asked softly.

"Um, I dunno," she began shyly. "I guess I've always been afraid of ending up alone. I always thought I would—"

He cut her off with a passionate kiss. He really didn't want to hear the end of her sentence. He placed his hand on her face and gave her a series of kisses that made her toes curl.

"What was that for?" She asked breathlessly when he finally pulled away.

"Just because," he grinned.

They kissed again and as they did so, their house plummeted into darkness.

April pulled back and stated in surprise. "Oh, we lost power."

Jackson chuckled, "I think that I jinxed us."

"Let me up so that I can get a flashlight."

He reluctantly let her out of his grasp and she carefully got up off of the couch and made her way into the kitchen. She felt around until her hand fell upon the handle of the drawer that she was searching for. She opened it and grabbed the flashlight inside. She smiled as she turned it on and shined it in Jackson's direction. "There we go! Let there be light!"

He got up off of the couch and stood in front of the window. "It looks like it's getting worse." He turned back towards her. "I think that I'm gonna light the fireplace, just in case it takes a while for the power to come back."

"Okay, I'm going to go get Parker; we don't want him to get cold."

April walked into their bedroom and pulled on a t-shirt, sweater, and a pair of pajama pants over her clothes, before she walked into the nursery and delicately picked Parker up out of his crib. He snuggled into her shoulder as he stirred from sleep. "Shh baby, it's okay, go back to sleep," she whispered comfortingly. She sighed when he squealed as he played with her hair, signalling that he was now fully awake.

She walked back into the living room where Jackson had pushed the coffee table to the side and had spread a large quilt on the rug in front of the newly lit fireplace.

"Well your son is up for a while."

He looked up at April, who was now fully dressed and holding Parker in her arms. He smiled as their baby boy playfully tugged on the feet of his baby blue sleepers. He got to his feet and walked towards them. "Do you want me to bring out his crib?"

She nodded. "Yeah, okay."

He went into the nursery and retrieved the crib. He placed it just to the left of the fireplace before he ran back into Parker's room and grabbed a few extra blankets. He exhaled as he sat down on the quilt next to his wife.

He laughed as she gently peeled Parker's small hand off of her collar. Their son had entered his grabby phase not too long ago so he was almost always toying with April's hair or something that she was wearing. He smiled brightly and Parker giggled as he started to play with her long, auburn hair. "I love it when he does that. It's adorable." He loved it mostly because he could relate, he loved playing with her hair too. He gently tickled Parker's stomach, making him giggle happily even more.

She laughed lightly, "It's adorable when he doesn't pull…oww…Parker, let go of Mommy's hair."

"Here, let me take him." April transferred Parker to Jackson and the baby smiled pleasantly as he placed his hand on the side of his father's face. "Hey bud," he greeted quietly.

He turned, looked at April, and smiled goofily. "What?" She asked with a laugh. She could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking about something outlandish.

"What's your favourite fairy tale?" She looked at him in confusion. "Growing up, what was your favourite fairy tale?" He elaborated.

She smiled to herself as she looked into the fire. "I guess it was _Sleeping Beauty_, I had a little bit of a crush on the brave prince," she laughed as she covered her face with her hand.

Jackson smiled brightly as he sat Parker on his lap. "Okay, so Mommy's favourite is _Sleeping Beauty_," he paused before he started the story, "Once upon a time..."

Jackson didn't even get halfway through a rather disjunctive, inaccurate retelling of _Sleeping Beauty _before Parker fell asleep in his arms. He stood up and gently laid the baby down in his crib, covering him with the small blanket that they had brought him home from the hospital in, and two extra, just to be on the safe side.

Once Jackson saw that Parker was settled, he had grabbed the stuffed animal that he always slept with in his sleep and cuddled into it, he sat back down next to April.

She looked at his bare chest and laughed quietly, careful not to wake their boy. "Aren't you cold?"

He shook his head before he smiled at her mischievously. "Are you? Because I can keep you warm." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him.

He pressed a kiss on the back of her neck before he slipped his hands under her three layers of clothing and moved them slowly up her stomach. "Jackson, don't..." she protested quietly as she tightly grasped his hands through her clothes.

He kissed her cheek before he began to whisper in her ear. "What's wrong?"

They were enjoying being new parents and their intimacy hadn't suffered because of the new little person in their lives, but one thing was very noticeable. They hadn't made love since before Parker was born. Everything was fine medically; he knew that she was physically fine to have sex. Therefore, he figured that it was one of two options, either she was scared of getting pregnant again so quickly or she was tired and her sex drive hadn't fully returned yet.

She shivered as he buried his nose in her hair. "I haven't lost the baby weight yet," she replied almost inaudibly. She wanted to have sex, but she was self-conscious about her stomach and her breasts.

Oddly enough, he hadn't been expecting that reason. "What? You're just being too critical," he responded quickly. "I think you look incredible." He kissed her cheek again. "You have no reason to be insecure, if anything you've gotten even sexier."

She blushed and smiled at him softly. "Thank you." Overall, she was a much more confident woman than she had been years ago but she still needed a little reassurance every now and then.

"You're welcome," he replied as he massaged the back of her neck. "And I just want to make love to the gorgeous woman who gave birth to my son, but if you're not ready then that's okay." He didn't want to push her. He knew that this was a big thing for women.

She couldn't stop smiling at him. He was so incredible, and the fireplace was creating a very romantic mood. She lifted up the quilt that she was sitting on and slipped underneath it. "Come under the blanket with me, please," she requested with a small grin.

He smiled back at her before he copied her movements and lay down next to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he began to kiss her hungrily. "I love you," he told her breathlessly.

"I love you too, Jackson," she whispered as she held his face between her hands. She kissed him softly before she spoke in a nervous voice. "Can we just go really slowly?"

Jackson nodded before nuzzling his nose against hers. "Yeah, of course, whatever you want. Tell me if you want to stop or if something hurts, or anything."

He really was willing to do whatever she wanted. She had given him a baby; he was willing to give her the sun and the moon if she asked for it.

* * *

**A/N: There will probably be smut next chapter, just so you know lol.**

**Please leave a review! :)**


	7. Another Avery Wedding

**A/N: Here we are again! Enjoy the update :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

* * *

_**Another Avery Wedding**_

"Daddy! Don't want to!" Parker whined as he rubbed his eyes with his tiny fists.

Jackson sighed before he bent over and lifted his son up into his arms. "Come on, buddy, you gotta get fitted for your tuxedo and look handsome for Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Alex's wedding day."

Parker continued to whine and Jackson bounced him up and down in his arms in an effort to get him to calm down. He had decided to take Parker to the bridal shop on his lunch break but he was now regretting that decision. His little boy was tired and he just wasn't in the mood to cooperate with him. He figured that the stuffy heat wasn't helping matters either.

Jackson had a feeling that this would all go a lot smoother if April was here, but unfortunately she was in surgery. Parker loved spending time with his father but he was definitely a Mama's boy. April could practically talk their son into doing anything.

The young woman who worked in the store turned to them with a huge smile on her face. She didn't seem fazed by her troublesome customer, probably because he was an adorable, curly haired toddler. "He's so cute. How old is he?"

Jackson smiled proudly. "He's nineteen months."

"Wow!" Her eyes widened. "Isn't that young to be talking like that?"

"Yeah, he said his first word two months ago and now he's just picking up words and putting them together in sentences really well but we mostly just hear 'don't want to', 'tired', and 'hungry'."

Jackson laughed softly as he continued to bounce Parker in his arms. He joked that Parker's early display of intelligence was due to his Avery legacy. Alex, on the other hand, joked that it had to have been passed down from April. He said that it was fitting that Parker was an early talker because his mother couldn't shut up ninety percent of the time.

"Aww poor little guy, it won't take long, sweetheart, I promise," the young woman said with a smile. "I'll be really fast." She smiled as the little boy shied away from her and whispered in his father's ear.

Jackson chuckled, "He said okay." Parker still wasn't comfortable around strangers, so far he had inherited April's shy streak.

He set Parker down on the floor and got down on his knees so that he could hold the toddler up while the young woman got out her measuring tape. He knew that the girl was checking him out while she worked. He was a good enough looking guy as it was, but women seemed to swarm around him when he was with his son. She must have noticed the wedding band on his finger rather quickly because she blushed before turning her gaze away from his.

Parker stood still, and didn't whine or complain, and she took his measurements quickly. "Okay, all done!"

"Thank you," Jackson said gratefully as he picked Parker back up.

"No problem. Now, you want his tux to match yours right?"

He nodded. "Yup." That was April's idea; she thought that it would be absolutely adorable.

Apparently the bridal shop worker agreed. "Cute," she grinned. "Okay, well I have your information and I'll call you when they're ready."

Jackson smiled in thanks before he got out of there as quickly as he could. At least that was one thing that he could cross off of his pre-wedding to-do list. He felt like he had more to do as the best man than he had needed to get done when he had been the groom.

* * *

"Mama!" Parker called excitedly when he spotted his mother approaching from the other end of the hospital hallway.

April smiled back at him brightly before taking him into her arms. She affectionately kissed him on the cheek before she turned to Jackson. "How did it go?"

He rolled his eyes with a laugh. "It's done, let's leave it at that."

She turned to her son and began to tickle his stomach as she spoke in her perfected baby voice. "Were you a bad boy?"

"No!" Parker squealed loudly. "Good boy! Daddy bad boy!"

Jackson rolled his eyes again, what a little traitor, throwing him under the bus like that. April smiled triumphantly and he responded by changing the topic. "So," he began as they walked down the hallway towards the daycare. "Karev's bachelor party is tonight."

"And what does the best man have planned?" She asked curiously.

He grinned, "I can't reveal those secrets."

April chuckled before she stopped in the doorway and looked at her son. "Okay, give Mommy a kiss." The little boy did as he was told and she smiled. "We'll pick you up in a little bit, okay? Say goodbye to Daddy."

"Bye Daddy," Parker waved with a happy smile.

Jackson smiled back at his little guy and returned the wave before April handed him off to one of the daycare workers.

He wrapped his arm around his wife's waist as they turned around and headed back down the hallway. "What are you doing now?"

"I have a hernia repair in an hour," she answered.

He placed both of his hands on her hips and guided her towards the nearest on-call room. "That's plenty of time," he grinned mischievously.

April laughed as he closed the door behind them. This was the part of their relationship that surprised her the most, that their sex life was still fairly…active. Everyone said that having a child changed your love life forever, that it interfered with the amount of time alone that you got to spend together, and that was true. Parker demanded a lot of attention when they were home and they usually went to bed exhausted. They didn't have sex all over the house anymore, like they used to when they had been newlyweds. But while Parker was at daycare, and when neither one of them were busy with work, they got to spend as much time alone together as they wanted. Surprisingly, the hospital was a blessing for their love life. Thank God for on-call rooms.

"You told Mark that you'd be at the bridal shop for longer, didn't you?"

He looked at her with a playful smile. "Maybe." He shed his jacket before he tossed her onto the bed. She hit the mattress with a giggle and he climbed on top of her. "I _was_ a bit of a bad boy," he murmured huskily.

Her laugh turned into a moan when he dipped his head to kiss her neck. She slipped her hands underneath the back of his t-shirt and started to pull it up his chest. "So, what are you doing tonight?" She questioned as she nibbled on his earlobe. She figured that now would be the best time to try and coax some information out of him.

She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and he knew exactly what she was doing. But the plans for Karev's bachelor party included drinking a lot of beer and watching a lot of strippers. He wasn't about to tell his wife that. "Nothing that you'd want to participate in."

She pushed him over onto his back and straddled his waist. "You don't know that," she argued with an arched eyebrow.

Jackson chuckled as he pulled on the strings of her scrub pants. "Well, if you do then I'm all for it."

She observed his glazed over eyes and playful smirk. "You're going to a strip club!" She deduced quickly.

He laughed with a nod. "Yeah, it's Karev, his last outing as a single guy has to involve a strip club. It wouldn't be right if it didn't."

Alex Karev had been with so many women that he truly needed one last hurrah before he settled down for good.

April rolled her eyes and chirped sarcastically, "Right." She didn't really care; she just always found it frustrating how men tried to justify bachelor parties.

"Hey, why would I pay to see naked ladies when I can get it at home for free?"

She smacked his chest before she got up off of him. He could be so dense sometimes. She was comfortable with her sexuality but she still didn't want to be treated like an object. "Well, on that incredibly romantic note, I should go prep for my surgery."

"April," he groaned as he sat up. "You know I didn't really mean—"

"I know." She held his face in her hands and leaned down to kiss him softly on the lips. "Do me a favour? Don't drink too much tonight, okay?" She knew how he got when he was really drunk, and he usually got really horny. "I may just start charging for my services," she added teasingly.

He laughed as he nodded. "Okay, I won't."

* * *

Jackson joined Alex outside of the strip club with a loud laugh. The peds surgeon, who had stepped outside to get some fresh air, sized up his friend before he released a chuckle. He hadn't seen Avery this drunk in a very long time.

"Kepner is going to kill you," he told him.

Jackson nodded before he grinned cockily. "I'll apologize profusely," he responded with a suggestive tone.

Alex wrinkled his nose. "Dude, that's gross."

Jackson laughed and disregarded his comment. "Ya know," he slurred. "Elizabeth is my sister so I'm required to say that I'll kick your ass if you hurt her."

Alex smiled and nodded as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I know you will and you don't have to worry about it."

If he screwed this up then he would want to kick his ass himself.

The two men were quickly joined outside by Brooks, Sloan, Shepherd, and Hunt.

The Head of Plastics reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a special package that he had brought along with him. "Celebratory cigars," he declared. He handed each man a cigar and then pulled out his special occasions lighter. "To Karev, who's getting married, _again_. I hope this one sticks!"

Alex rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Yeah, thanks, whatever."

"Here here," Derek chuckled.

Alex ignored his friends' playful teasing as he raised the cigar to his lips. He knew that this marriage was going to last. He had loved Izzie but Elizabeth was nothing like her and their relationship was nothing like his and Izzie's. Elizabeth, although her upbringing and history was as far away from his as possible, just got him. She understood his moods and his perspective without much question. She didn't put up with his crap and he didn't put up with hers either. She didn't talk to him like he was a jerk and he didn't treat her like a spoiled princess. They just worked, and he had gotten past his hang ups regarding being a part of the Avery family. Like Webber had told him at the end of his residency, he had to get used to what it felt like to be treated like a winner.

He had never thought that he would get married again but it just seemed right. He felt like crap when he wasn't with her and he had only been able to think of one way to ensure that he would never feel that way again.

They had been cleaning up the kitchen after dinner one night and talking about work and their cases, or something or other, and he had realized that he wouldn't mind if the rest of his life was exactly like this. So he had just turned to her and asked nonchalantly.

"Wanna get married?"

Her eyes had widened and she had dropped the dish that she had been holding, but she had recovered quickly. She had shrugged and mumbled back, "Yeah, sure."

The moment had been perfect to him and the best part was that they weren't making a big deal out of their wedding either. It was going to be a very small outdoor ceremony and a reception in a hotel would follow. Jackson was his best man and April was Elizabeth's maid of honour. Elizabeth had fought her mother tooth and nail to keep the affair low-key and ultimately she had won. Alex hadn't wanted another big wedding and his bride had respected that.

And he was excited, as much as he tried not to show it. He couldn't wait to marry Elizabeth Avery.

* * *

Jackson gracelessly crawled into bed and wrapped both of his arms around his wife. His kissed up her neck before he buried his nose in her hair. "April. April," he called a little louder than necessary. "April, wake up!"

The red-head's eyes fluttered open and she rolled over so that she could look at her husband. "You're drunk," she stated sleepily.

He smiled guiltily. "Sorry, things got a little out of hand." He slipped his hands under her tank top as he hung his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. "It was the best bachelor party that I've ever been to."

"I'm glad that you had fun," she responded sincerely. He hadn't had a guys' night out in a very long time. She leaned in to kiss him but screwed up her face in disgust. "But you smell like smoke."

"Oops, sorry." It was the celebratory cigars' fault. He hopped to his feet and April giggled as he discarded all of his clothes.

"Jackson," she laughed into her pillow.

He climbed back into the bed with a grin. "Better?"

She continued to laugh as she straddled his waist. It was impossible to stay mad at him for long, especially when he was acting this carefree and easygoing. "So how were the naked ladies?" She asked as she placed her hands on his chest.

"Terrible. Awful," he replied solemnly. "You're _so_ much prettier."

She couldn't stop herself from giggling at him. He could be so ridiculous when he was intoxicated. He sat up, wrapped his arms around her waist, and placed his mouth on the swell of her breast. She raised her hands and placed one on the top of his head while the other massaged the back of his neck. "You're going to feel like crap tomorrow." She told him, and there was a hint of devilish glee in her voice.

"Well that depends," he murmured.

"On what?"

He raised his head and looked at her with a playful smile. "On how much lovin' you give me before I go to sleep."

April laughed hysterically before she pressed her mouth against his. "You're lucky you're so cute."

"I know," he replied with a grin.

He slipped both of his hands into the back of her shorts and kissed her hungrily. His wife pulled away with a regretful expression when they heard Parker's cries come through the baby monitor. "I will be right back," she spoke quickly after kissing him once more.

April hopped off of the bed and scurried into the nursery. She picked Parker up out of his crib and wiped the tears from his eyes. "What's wrong, sweetie?" She cooed as she walked towards the rocking chair in the corner of the room. She could tell that he wasn't hungry, and he didn't need to be changed, so he must have just awoken and started crying immediately to get the attention of one of his parents.

He cuddled into her and she rocked him back to sleep in a matter of minutes.

She stopped in the doorway and covered her mouth to suppress a giggle when she returned to the master bedroom. Jackson was fast asleep on his stomach. He had passed out and it looked like neither one of them would be getting any lovin' tonight.

* * *

The wedding day arrived and everything went according to plan. Only family and close friends were in attendance, and the ceremony was short, simple, and traditional. Even Alex's little sister, Amber, had attended. The reception was in full swing in the hotel ballroom and Alex felt much more comfortable now that the formal part was over and done with. He could shed his jacket, have a drink, and enjoy himself.

He shot his bride a small smile as they participated in a slow dance. "So, we're kinda married."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "Yeah, we kinda are." She paused before she spoke again. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah," he answered honestly. "Are you?"

She nodded before she wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him towards her for a long kiss. She was so happy and, despite accusations earlier in their relationship that she was ashamed of him, she was so proud to be his wife.

April smiled to herself as she sipped from her glass of champagne and watched the rather unlikely, newly married couple. They were cute and Alex looked really happy. The goofy grin on his face made her smile brightly. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was him.

The red-head laughed as a small body collided with her leg. She looked down at Parker with a smile and watched him place both of his tiny hands on her calf. "Hi honey!"

"Hi Mama," he smiled back.

She continued to smile as she slowly lowered herself down to his level. Her baby boy seemed to be enjoying the festivities of the wedding. He was captivated by the decorations and the music, and he knew almost all of the guests so he wasn't acting shy or reserved. She removed his bowtie and suit jacket so that he wouldn't get too warm. He was, after all, scampering around at full speed.

"You look so handsome," she gushed, "but you're gonna get hot."

Parker reached a hand upwards and grabbed one of the tendrils framing her face. "Mama pwetty."

"Aww, thank you, sweetie."

Even though the compliment was coming from a toddler, it was still nice to hear. Her dress was black and knee length with a white sash that wrapped around her midsection. At first she had thought that Elizabeth had picked out the dress on purpose because it showcased how pale April was while drawing attention to her lovely olive skin, but the dress really wasn't that bad, and it _was _Elizabeth's day. April didn't want to be one of those superficial women who bitched about their appearance on someone else's wedding day. And Jackson seemed to enjoy how she looked; he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her all day.

She made eye contact with her husband but turned away when she heard Catherine Avery's excited squeal. The urologist swept Parker up into her arms and cuddled the giggling toddler.

"Oh he is just so precious! He looks just like Jackson when he was his age!"

April smiled as she watched the older woman interact with her grandson. She knew that Catherine was right, she had seen Jackson's baby pictures and the resemblance was uncanny. There were very few differences between them. Parker had Jackson's looks but her personality.

April suppressed a grin when she felt a different body than earlier wrap his arms around her. She leaned back against Jackson's chest and glanced up at him. "Hi," she greeted in a whisper.

He hummed and pressed his nose against her neck. "Hi." He placed a quick kiss on her skin before he spoke again in a low murmur. "Have I told you today how amazing you look?"

"Numerous times," she giggled quietly.

Catherine smiled at the couple knowingly as they continued to whisper to each other. "I can watch him for a little while, if you want."

April blushed at what she was implying while Jackson's hands tightened on her waist. He quickly answered for them, taking his mother up on her offer, and guided April out of the ballroom. She looked absolutely incredible and everything about today reminded him of when they had gotten married. He was feeling nostalgic and romantic and so all that he wanted to do was whisk his wife away to somewhere private, preferably with a double bed.

He practically ran towards the front desk and requested a room. To say that he was feeling rather impatient would be an understatement. It had been a long time since they had really made love.

April giggled as Jackson pushed her into the elevator and pressed her up against the wall. "Jackson," she scolded half-heartedly, "wait until we get upstairs."

"No way," he chuckled. He dipped his head to kiss her as his hands tightened on her hips. "Not with the way you look in that dress."

Her face flushed and she tilted her head upwards so that she could kiss him back hungrily. He looked pretty amazing in his tux too.

"Hold the elevator!" A voice called and it caused April and Jackson to jump apart.

Jackson reached out and placed his hand on the door so that Bailey and Ben could join them inside of the elevator. He could tell by the look on the other man's face that they had the same exact idea as he and April.

"Avery. Kepner," Bailey greeted with a nod.

"Dr. Bailey," Jackson responded as he did his best to keep the wide, knowing grin off of his face. He pulled April back against his chest and hide his face in her hair.

"Beautiful wedding, wasn't it?" April began conversationally as the elevator began to slowly ascend.

Ben nodded in agreement. "They both look very happy."

"Karev…married…again," Bailey chuckled to herself. "Who would have thought? He's your family now, Avery," she teased.

"Don't remind me," Jackson laughed. He couldn't get over what a good mood the general surgeon was in. It was kind of creepy actually.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. The two couples stepped out of the elevator and walked in opposite directions.

"Have a good night!" April called cheerily.

"You too," Ben replied with a grin directed at Jackson.

Once Ben and Bailey had turned the corner, Jackson grabbed his wife's hips and laughed into her neck. "They're going to get it on," he whispered as if it was a conspiracy theory.

April giggled loudly and placed a hand over her mouth to contain the sound. "Oh my gosh!"

They continued to laugh as they headed towards their hotel room. Jackson pulled the room's key card out of his pocket and quickly unlocked the door. His arms wrapped around his wife as he pushed the door closed with his foot. His mouth covered hers and she responded by grabbing his jacket and tugging him closer to her.

They shuffled towards the double bed before April spoke through kisses. "I'm starting to feel kind of bad."

"About what?" He questioned as he pulled down the zipper of her dress.

"About pawning Parker off on your mother so that we could sneak away," she explained guiltily.

Jackson laughed softly. "My mother cherishes every second that she gets to spend with him, and he'll understand when he gets older and has a family of his own."

"True, so true," she agreed easily. She pushed his suit jacket off of his shoulders before she worked on opening his belt. "But you know how clingy he gets sometimes," she added after a moment. "What if he notices that we're gone and starts crying?"

He sighed before he held her face between his large hands. "Babe, relax. If he needs us then my Mom will call. So for now…just…" He dipped his head and placed his mouth against the spot on her neck that drove her crazy. He grinned to himself in satisfaction when she melted against him. "Just enjoy yourself."

He gently pushed the straps of her dress down her shoulders and the garment pooled at her feet. She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and he stripped down to his boxers before joining her. He knelt down on the bed between her legs and placed his hands on her smooth thighs. His hands slowly caressed her legs on the way to removing her stiletto heels.

He was so glad that Karev and his sister had gotten married. Otherwise, he wasn't sure when he and April would get a moment like this again. It was too bad that there wouldn't be any more Avery weddings.

"I have always loved weddings," he grinned down at her.

She giggled as she pressed her palms flat against his chest. "And hotel rooms." It was hard for them to forget that their very first time together had been in a hotel room much like this one. "We haven't made love in a real bed in way too long."

He chuckled as he guided her to the top of the bed and hovered above her. He brushed his nose against hers as he responded teasingly, "The on-call room cots aren't doing it for you anymore?"

"Not really," she laughed. "It's nice not to have to rush."

April wrapped her legs around his calves as they kissed leisurely. She caressed the strong muscles of his back while he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He took his time removing her matching black underwear and her breath hitched as he ran his hands over her naked hips. He maneuvered a hand between her legs and stroked her tender flesh. He swallowed the moan that she released before he pulled his mouth away from hers and peppered kisses along her cheek.

"Jackson," she whispered in arousal as her fingernails dug into his skin.

"What?" He whispered back softly. He knew that she was ready for him but like she said, it was nice not to have to rush.

She kissed him again before she answered his question. "Let's rush a little bit."

He chuckled huskily as he gently pushed a finger inside of her and pressed his thumb against her bundle of nerves. "You're impossible to please, you know that right?" He asked teasingly.

She hummed before she wrapped both of her hands around his neck and placed her thumbs on his cheeks. "Am I going to have to make it up to you?"

Before he had a chance to respond, April had flipped him over onto his back and was straddling his waist. They had been together for long enough now that he should have seen this coming, yet she always managed to surprise him, and he always found it sexy. He groaned as April's fingers played along the taught skin of his lower stomach before she pushed his boxers down over his hips.

She placed a quick kiss on his lips and began to drag her mouth down his chest. What she was doing felt incredible but he was desperate to get to the main event. He shot up into a sitting position and tightly grasped her waist. "Looks like I'm just as impatient as you are," he chuckled.

She smiled at him as she shifted her body and lowered herself down onto his length. She gasped and gripped his shoulders before closing her eyes and sighing in pleasure. "God Jackson, that feels so good."

He leaned forward and brushed his nose along the length of her neck as he hummed in agreement. "So freakin' good."

She moved rhythmically above him as their mouths joined and their tongues tangled. One of his hands slipped up her back and into her hair. She pulled away from him quickly as she realized what he was about to do. He loved tangling his hands in her hair while they were making love. "No, don't. We have to go back to the reception after this and my hair has to be as perfect as it was when we left." And she knew that she could not replicate the fancy up do that the professional hairstylist had done.

He groaned and grumbled at being denied such a simple pleasure. However, his disappointment quickly dissipated as his orgasm approached. He growled as April scratched his back and sucked on his neck. "Fuck," he groaned lowly. He was teetering on the edge and he knew that she wasn't there yet. "April."

"Mm, what?" She asked as she continued to kiss his neck.

"You feel too good," he replied through gritted teeth. "I can't…I…"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and encouraged him to embrace his release. "You can make it up to me later."

Right now she didn't care about having an orgasm; she simply craved the intimacy of this moment. She delicately ran her fingers along his scalp as he came inside of her. His hands fell to rest on the bed and his head slumped onto her shoulder. He panted against her damp skin and she smiled as she placed soft kisses below his ear.

"Sorry," he murmured sheepishly once he caught his breath.

"Don't apologize, that was wonderful."

She kissed him on the mouth before she untangled herself from him and moved onto the other side of the bed. She covered herself with the throw blanket that they had tossed aside earlier and leaned back against the pile of pillows gathered beneath the headboard. She smiled pleasantly as her husband collapsed flat onto his back.

"For some reason," April began with a giggle, "I feel like I should be smoking a cigarette right now."

Jackson chuckled before he gathered his strength and practically pounced on her. "Wait until I'm finished with you."

"But Jackson," she started to protest as he kissed her.

"We can be missed for a little while longer," he told her with a persuasive grin.

He wasn't letting her leave this hotel room until she was as satisfied as he was.

* * *

**A/N: I hope to update WWCB soon and there will be another chapter of TYGA.**

**Please leave a review! :)**


	8. I Hate You

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter! I did a nice bit of research for this chapter but forgive me if I got anything wrong. Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always, nothing belongs to me!**

* * *

_**I Hate You**_

April walked across the ER with a clipboard in her hand and a bright smile on her face. It was July 1st, which signalled the first day of the contract year and a new crop of interns. Since she had become an attending, July 1st had become one of her favourite days of the year. It was filled with so much hope, promise, and optimism. She was also in an exceptional mood because she was pregnant again, and her hormones were cooperating so far today. Her mood swings were more intense and less predictable then they had been when she had been pregnant with Parker. Some of the residents had even started to fear her, but sometimes it was fun to be the scary attending. It was a role that she wasn't used to, but it certainly got a lot of things done.

She was seven and a half months along and still at work. Her duties and responsibilities in the pit had been scaled back but she was still allowed to operate. She did more general procedures now because they were shorter and required her to be on her feet for less time but trauma still gave her an irreplaceable thrill. Yet another reason that she was excited. It seemed as if something major always came into the pit on July 1st.

She was in the middle of inputting charts into the hospital's new electronic system when she heard her husband's voice.

"Good morning!" He had left the house while his wife had still been sleeping because he had had a meeting with Mark. Something like that rarely happened but he still didn't like it when it did, especially since she was pregnant and he liked to take care of her. He sat down in the chair next to her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "How are my girls?" He asked with a bright smile as he placed a hand on her very prominent baby bump.

"Your girls are good," she answered pleasantly. "Excited for today."

Jackson grinned as he continued to rub his hand along her belly. April wasn't just pregnant with one baby girl, they were having twins. Twin girls. And he didn't think that it was possible for him to be more excited. He loved spending time with Parker and thinking about all of the male bonding that they would do in the future, but he also wanted a baby girl to spoil and protect, and scare off all of her potential boyfriends. And now he was getting two!

They had been trying to have another baby but having twins had initially come as a huge shock. When Dr. Thomas had told them during an ultrasound that he could hear two heartbeats, Jackson's body had stiffened in surprise and April's mouth had dropped open. At first, she had blamed him and his "stupid, fertile Avery genes", but then a sheepish expression had taken over her face as realization had dawned on her. Twins had everything to do with ovulation, maybe she was the super fertile one. After some gentle coaxing from him, she finally murmured that she had aunts on her mother's side that were twins.

He had grinned at her and stated matter-of-factly, "Some people think that twins is genetic on the mother's side."

Still, she had remained rather frustrated and annoyed with him for the next several days, and then, after realizing how ridiculous she had been acting, that had disappeared and she had felt overwhelmingly happy. She was having two baby girls and she felt incredibly blessed. She could only imagine all of the adorable things that she could do with twins.

Parker was excited about the new additions to their family too, which made both of them even happier.

Jackson was pretty sure that his life couldn't be any more perfect. Both personally and professionally, he had never thought that things would work out this well for him.

He moved his hand upward to massage the back of April's neck as he closely observed the way that her red curls framed her face. His wife was so beautiful.

"Hey," he whispered. "Do you want to go to an on-call room for a little bit? The interns won't be coming through here for at least an hour."

She turned to him with a smile, but didn't get a chance to respond.

"Have you guys seen the news?" Chief Hunt asked as he stormed into the ER.

April shook her head but wasted no time before she hopped out of her seat and headed towards the waiting room so that she could take a look at the television. Jackson was right behind her and he placed his hands on her shoulders when she came to a stop.

Jackson frowned as he paid attention to the emergency broadcast. A large apartment building downtown was on fire, and it looked like utter chaos.

"I'm going to take a team into the field," Owen announced. "Run the ER?" He asked April.

The red-head nodded confidently. "Yes, sir. I got it."

The married attendings followed the Chief of Surgery as he walked purposefully towards the largest supply closet.

"I can go out in the field," Jackson offered, "assess burns so that there'll be less congestion in the Burn Center."

Owen nodded as he pondered the plastic surgeon's suggestion. "That's a good idea, Avery. Grab a few interns and meet me outside as soon as you can."

Jackson grabbed April's hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "I'll see you later. Good luck."

"You too, and be safe." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before they parted and turned in opposite directions.

* * *

Jackson hopped out of the back of the ambulance and surveyed the scene before him with awe. As a plastic surgeon, he never got to go to the scenes of accidents; it was more up a trauma surgeon's alley. Due to his limited experience, he found himself a little overwhelmed at first. Paramedics and firefighters were running around everywhere. There were dozens of onlookers being kept at a safe distance by the police and barricades, and he could see news networks with their cameras rolling. He quickly took a deep breath and turned around to face his group of interns. He had decided to take Stephanie Edwards, Shane Ross, and Jo Wilson with him.

"Okay," he began calmly. "Help wherever you can, put anyone with third degree burns in an ambulance. If you need any help then call for me or Hunt."

The three interns nodded obediently before they ran off to find potential victims. Jackson, on the other hand, walked towards two EMTs and introduced himself. They politely told him exactly what had happened and what was going on now.

"I heard one of the firefighters say that they think it might be arson," one of them replied. "The fire spread across the fifth floor real quick."

"They're still clearing the building," the taller one added. His nametag read M. Taylor. "So far we've seen a lot of smoke inhalation and a few broken bones. Some major burns."

They chatted for a little while longer about the kinds of injuries that they were looking at before Jackson nodded in thanks and left to attend to as many people as he could. He treated two patients for minor burns and helped the paramedics load a man with severe burns on his legs into an ambulance before he heard Hunt calling for him.

He spun around and spotted Hunt waving an arm in the air. "Avery! Get over here!"

Jackson sprinted towards his superior and started to help him with the woman that he was treating. He was trying to size up the burns on her arms and chest while Hunt checked her abdomen for internal injuries. However, the woman was crying and flailing, and it was making their job very difficult.

"Ma'am," Owen began in a soothing voice. "Calm down, we're just doing a quick exam before we send you to the hospital."

"My son!" She cried. "My son was in the laundry room on the first floor. He likes to read there," she added quietly. "Is he okay?"

"The first floor has already been cleared," Owen assured her. "I'm sure that he's already at the hospital being checked out."

"What's his name?" Jackson asked with a smile. "I can check on him for you when we get to the hospital."

"Jeffrey. Jeffrey Stanton. He's only seven."

Jackson continued to smile in an effort to put her at ease. Naturally, since Parker's birth he found it much easier to relate to patients who were more worried about their children than about themselves. "Okay, I'll check on him," he repeated. "I promise."

Once they had helped Mrs. Stanton into an ambulance, Hunt turned and moved on to new patients. Jackson, however, couldn't ignore the bad feeling in his stomach and the nagging voice at the back of his mind. Just to satisfy his curiosity, he sought out the police officer that was keeping a record of everyone that was removed for the building and ushered to the hospital.

"Hey, do you have a Jeffrey Stanton on your list?"

The young cop flicked through the sheets of paper on his clipboard before he slowly shook his head. "Nope."

Jackson sighed and ran a hand over his closely shaved head. If the boy's name wasn't on that list then it's possible that he could still be in the building. He could be trapped in the laundry room, or hiding because he was scared. Jackson looked around and saw people running back and forth. The firefighters were still trying to put out the flames and the paramedics were swamped.

It was only the first floor.

He would just run in, check the laundry room, and then run back out.

No one would even notice.

It would only take a minute.

He would want someone to run back in if it was Parker.

Without any further thought, he sprinted into the building and turned to his right. Luckily the first floor only had one hallway and there weren't that many doors. He kept as low as he could but it was still incredibly hard to breath. He coughed before pulling his scrub top over his nose and mouth. It was incredibly hard to see, the smoke was dark and billowing, and he had to fight to keep his eyes open. He carefully checked three doors before he finally found the laundry room.

"Jeffrey!" He called out. "Jeffrey, if you're in here, buddy, then come out! Your Mom is looking for you!"

"I'm over here," a small voice finally called.

Jackson turned his head and spotted the tiny guy cowering underneath a folding table. "Hey, there you are." He knelt down and reached out a hand. "Come on, I can take you to your Mommy."

Jeffrey hesitated for a brief moment before he ran into Jackson's arms and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Jackson slowly got to his feet and started to slowly walk out into the hallway. He heard a loud crashing above him and he instinctually shielded the small child in his arms. Incredible pain shot through his body as he felt something hard and heavy come down on his back. He fell to the floor and braced himself with his right hand.

He was willing to bet that the slowly crumbling floor above him and a weak floor board was to blame for the pain that he was in, but thankfully, the adrenaline coursing through his body was more powerful.

Somehow, by some miracle, he made it out of the building in one piece. But he felt incredibly weak.

Hunt was one of the first people to see him. The older man's brow furrowed in confusion before he yelled. "Avery, what the hell?"

Jackson handed the boy to the first paramedic that came up to him and didn't have a chance to say anything before he passed out.

* * *

Jackson awoke slowly and immediately closed his eyes against the harsh light. He knew by the sounds surrounding him that he was in a hospital room and for that he was grateful, he had never felt crappier in his entire life. He coughed and winced due to the pain shooting up his torso.

"That would be your two bruised ribs," a familiar voice supplied.

He forced his eyes open again and focused on Callie Torres standing at the foot of his bed.

"You also separated your right shoulder," she added. "It's a Type II so you won't need surgery."

Jackson pursed his lips as he glanced down. That all made sense with the amount of pain that he had felt and where he had felt it. His torso was wrapped with bandages and his arm was in a sling. "And I'm guessing smoke inhalation too," he stated in a croaky voice.

The orthopedic surgeon nodded. "You got it. We already gave you some oxygen and we'll start you on heparin and acetylcysteine." She paused before she smiled and said, "But you saved that kid's life. I didn't realize that you were such a superhero, Avery."

Jackson gave her a soft smile before he asked what was on his mind. "Is he okay?"

Callie nodded. "He's being treated for smoke inhalation too. He's with Yang and he's going to be fine."

"And his Mom?"

"She's fine too and she's with her son. She wants to thank you later, but right now you need your rest." She looked at him pointedly as she said, "Go to sleep or I'll give you a sedative."

He chuckled at her threat. "Okay then." He looked around the room for a minute before he furrowed his brow. "Hey, where's April?"

"Kepner is in surgery," Callie answered. "I'll tell her to come here as soon as she's done."

"Thanks Torres. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," she smiled pleasantly. She recorded his vitals before she left the private room and headed down to the OR floor.

She waited outside of OR 2 and patiently waited for the pregnant woman to emerge.

When April finally stepped out into the hallway, she was practically bursting with excitement.

"Oh hey Dr. Torres! How are you?" She asked in a rapid voice. "I just finished the most incredible surgery. You should have seen Coles! He was _ah-mazing_!"

She and her trauma fellow had operated on an injured firefighter and even though she had trained Dylan Coles herself, his abilities still left her speechless sometimes. Truthfully, she shouldn't be surprised at all. After all, in a shocking turn of events, he had been the Gunther of his class.

April continued to rattle on until Callie finally interrupted her.

"Kepner, I have to tell you something. It's Jackson."

April's smile quickly dropped as a feeling of dread washed over. "W-what? What about Jackson?"

* * *

April stood in the doorway of the hospital room and took a minute to look at her husband. After everything that Callie had told her, she just needed a minute to look at him and to convince herself that he really was alive. He was covered in bandages and ash, and he looked exhausted, but he was alive.

He must have sensed her presence because he slowly opened his eyes and smiled up at her. She felt a rush of anger as she observed his carefree expression. How could he? Tears welled up in her eyes and her whole body began to shake with rage.

The smile on his face dropped quickly. He instantly knew that something was wrong, and he was proven right when she stormed towards him and began to roughly smack his chest.

"Ow!"

Everything that she was thinking and feeling rushed out of her like an unobstructed tidal wave. "You idiot! You could have died! You could have gotten yourself killed!" She shrieked. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to hit his bare chest.

"Hey! Hey! Calm down!" He raised his voice as well in an attempt to get through to her. She was hysterical and he could only imagine how high her blood pressure was at the moment. "April!"

She finally stopped hitting him and covered her face with both of her hands. "I hate you for doing this," she got out through sobs.

"April." He whispered her name softly as he reached towards her. "I'm fine, okay?" He grabbed her hand and placed it over his heart. "I'm fine," he repeated. "Just a few scrapes and some bumps and bruises. I'm okay."

She responded to him incredulously. "You have two bruised ribs, a separated shoulder, and smoke damage to your lungs."

"Yeah, but I'm _okay_," he argued. He wasn't on his deathbed; he would just need some time to heal. He would have to take some medication and do a little physiotherapy, it wasn't a big deal.

April raised her head and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "But what if you weren't okay? What if something had happened? What if…?" She trailed off as she began to cry again.

Jackson sat up straighter in his hospital bed and tried to pull her into him but she stubbornly fought him off. He had expected her to be relieved and thankful; he had never imagined that she would be this upset. But he understood and he knew that her pregnancy hormones certainly weren't helping the situation. For a moment, however brief, she had imagined a life without him and she wasn't handling that well. He had absolutely no idea what he would do if their roles were reversed. He would be angry and distraught as well.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. His actions, although incredibly heroic, had also been stupid and selfish. He hadn't thought about April or his family. "I wasn't thinking."

"No, you weren't," she confirmed. The red-head looked up at the ceiling as she took a deep breath. She didn't want to cry anymore, she already knew that she was getting too worked up. "It's just…I…God," she huffed in annoyance. She was unable to get out what she really wanted to say and that was making her even more upset. "What was I supposed to do without you?"

Jackson's heart broke at the expression on his wife's face. It was sad, desperate, and hopeless, and he knew that he never wanted to make her feel this way ever again. "I'm so sorry," he apologized again. She finally allowed him to pull her closer and he kissed her on the lips. "Sorry." He kissed her again and she tightly grasped his face with both hands as she deepened the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," she murmured. She kissed him repeatedly before she wiped the tears from her eyes with the collar of her scrub top.

"And I'm not going anywhere," he told her firmly as he tenderly placed his hands on her stomach.

She smiled at him sadly. "You can't promise me something like that."

"Yes, I can. Now, come up here and cuddle with me," he demanded with a grin.

"I can't."

"Why not?" He questioned in confusion.

She muttered, "Because I'm still mad at you."

He chuckled at the half-heartedness of her statement and smiled when she finally climbed onto the bed next to him. He wrapped his uninjured arm around her as she delicately laid her head on his chest.

"Am I crushing you? Are you okay?" She asked in concern.

"I'm fine," he smiled. He soothingly rubbed her back while she trailed her fingers down his chest. "Are you okay now?" She hummed and nodded. "Fine, but I still want Dr. Thomas to check you out in the morning."

"Fine," she replied in annoyance.

Jackson smiled to himself in satisfaction. He was fine. She was fine. Everything was fine.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

April stood next to their bed and looked down at Jackson sternly. "You are not going back to work yet."

Jackson rolled his eyes before trying to sit up for the third time in the past five minutes. As she had done the previous two times, April placed her hand on his good shoulder and roughly pushed him down onto his back. "I can go into work," he argued after sighing. "I feel great and I don't need bed rest anymore."

"You know what they say about doctors being terrible patients? Yeah, they were talking about you," she huffed. "Hunt and Torres said that you should take two weeks off so you're taking two weeks off."

"Yeah, but I'm fine," he persisted. "I can go into work."

She narrowed her eyes at him and he cowered under her gaze. He forgot how intimidating his very pregnant wife could be. He got comfortable on his back and looked up at her with a small smile. "Okay, I'm staying here. Are you happy now?"

"Very," she nodded. She shook her head before she added, "You are so frustrating sometimes."

Jackson couldn't stop himself from grinning. "You know that you're sexy when you boss me around."

April rolled her eyes but quickly sat down on the edge of the bed so that she could lean down to kiss him. "That's not going to get you into work," she spoke between kisses.

He laughed, "I know that, I have other needs." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he placed a hand on her thigh.

"Yeah, well I am very pregnant and you are very injured so that probably wouldn't be a good idea." It's not that she didn't want to, in fact, she _really _wanted to, but she was just trying to be smart and sensible. She didn't want him to aggravate his shoulder or hurt his ribs because she weighed a million pounds right now. She knew that she was carrying two this time instead of one, but she still felt like a whale. She placed her hand over his and entwined their fingers. "Not a good time."

He pouted and slowly sat up. He leaned forward and began to kiss her neck. "Okay, so no sex, fine, but we could make out and do a little petting." His hand slipped inside of her robe and started to caress one of her breasts. "It will be very relaxed. Very safe."

April giggled and turned her head until her lips caught his. "Jackson Avery, what am I going to do with you?"

He pulled away from her and flashed her a boyish grin. "Love me?"

"I think that I can do that," she smiled.

She placed both of her hands on his neck and kissed him hungrily. They only pulled apart when they heard the pitter-patter of little footsteps and smacking on their closed bedroom door. She kissed him one more time before she got up off of their bed and opened the door so that their little boy could enter. Parker had started to demand entrance into their bedroom as a sign that he was awake and energetic. He hadn't started climbing into their bed at night yet but April anticipated that the time would come soon.

"Hi!" The almost three year old announced before he clambered onto the bed and into Jackson's lap. "More guy time?"

"Yeah buddy," he laughed. "More guy time today." Parker had referred to Jackson's time away from work as guy time because he didn't have to go to daycare and he spent the entire day home with his Dad.

The littlest Avery tossed his hands in the air and squealed excitedly. "Yay! Guy time!"

April smiled as she sat back down on the bed and kissed Parker on the top of the head. "You're not going to miss Mommy at all, are you?"

"I miss Mommy all time," he replied with a small sad frown.

Her smile widened as she picked her son up and began to tickle his stomach. "You are so sweet and Mommy loves you so much."

When Parker finally stopped giggling, his attention zeroed in on her stomach. He tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows inquisitively, like his father was known to do. "When will they be here?" He placed both of his small hands on her belly and leaned in as close as he could. "When are you coming out?" He asked in a louder voice.

April and Jackson shared a smile before she spoke. "Not for a little while longer, honey."

"Why?" Parker questioned curiously.

"Because they're not ready yet," Jackson told him. "They're pretty comfortable in there."

"Oh." Parker nodded and accepted that explanation without another word.

April left her son and husband in bed as she got ready for work. When she was finally ready to leave, the two men in her life were still lying on the master bed. Jackson was wearing only his boxers and Parker was still in his footy pajamas. They were cuddled together and Jackson was reading him a story.

"Well I'm going to go now. Be good, the both of you," she stated pointedly.

"We will!" Parker exclaimed happily.

Jackson nodded his head in agreement. "Of course we will." He eagerly accepted the kiss that his wife offered. "Have a good day. Be safe."

"I'm pregnant, Jackson, not diseased."

"I know," he chuckled, "just take care of yourself, all right?"

She nodded and smiled at his concern before she kissed him again. She dipped her head to Parker and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Have fun with Daddy. I'll see you when I get home."

"Bye Mommy! Have fun in tawma!"

April crinkled up her nose at the cuteness of her son. He couldn't pronounce the word 'trauma' and it was possibly the single most adorable thing that she had ever heard. She took a deep breath and quickly spun on her heel. She knew that she needed to flee her house and get aboard of her car or otherwise she would want to spend all day at home with her boys.

* * *

Jackson heard his doorbell ring and he excitedly jumped off of his couch. He had had the best morning with his son but now that the little guy was napping, he could only think of one thing that he wanted to do. He wanted to work. He knew that going into the hospital was too risky, so he had made a call to Seattle Grace Mercy West.

He ran to his front door and skidded to a halt in his bare feet. He opened his door and exhaled with a smile as he looked at his messenger.

"Thanks so much for doing this," he stated appreciatively.

Stephanie Edwards, the meek intern who he had roped into delivering him case files, merely nodded. "It's no problem, really," she muttered.

He accepted the stack of patient files from her and cradled them with his good arm. He was just desperate to read something work related and he could only go to an intern for help because he knew that all of his close coworkers would tattle on him. "Seriously though, this place isn't exactly close to the hospital."

"Don't worry about it," she replied. She wasn't sure how long she could stand on his doorstep and talk to him while he stood across from her without a shirt on. He was so beautiful and so talented, and so nice. _And_ he had just saved a kid from a burning building! He was perfect. "It was no problem, Dr. Avery." But he was an attending and he was _married_!

"You get your pick of surgeries to scrub in on when I get back to work," he grinned.

She giggled nervously. "Okay."

"Thanks again, Edwards, and have a safe trip back." He shot her one last thankful smile and waved to her as she walked off of his porch.

He settled back onto his couch and spread the files out in front of him on the coffee table. He got through three before the medication that he was taking kicked in and he became groggy.

He passed out on the sofa and only awoke when he felt a soft pair of lips brush against his. He opened his eyes to find Parker asleep on his chest and his wife peering over him. "Hey," he muttered groggily.

"Go back to sleep," she whispered softly. "You guys look too cute to disturb." She glanced towards the medical files on the coffee table and raised an eyebrow. "I will get mad at you later," she promised with a smile.

"Okay," he mumbled happily. "I love you."

"I hate you," she replied teasingly before she kissed him again.

* * *

**A/N: ****I hope that you liked all of the cameos in this ;) **

**Please leave a review! :)**


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